WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

152. Chapter 152

Rule of Gods

MorganMacCallum

Summary:

Kei has only survived as long as she had through her obstinacy, and following basic rules. All it takes is one neglected rule, and everything falls apart. Fortunately, Kei is very adaptive. Inspired by Nothing tastes sweeter by MullerMilkshake.

Notes:

For MullerMilkshake.

Inspired by Nothing tastes sweeter by MullerMilkshake

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Summer was a luxury and a rare time to farm and gather good quality resources. Kei would take advantage of every hour of daylight tending to her small lot of land, aspiring to build as much surplus as possible for the inevitable silence of winter. She was always growing an excess of cucumber and tomato, and there was little rest for her; that was the way she liked it.

Having the good fortune to live in the mountains, not far from the city but far enough that it did not have an impact on her life, meant she had the rare luxury of fish as well. With so few people, and so few that needed to eat anymore, freshwater eel was in every river and she was an apt hunter.

Being so far from the city did not mean she was safe. Years upon years of dangerous encounters had taught her that the only way to be safe was to be unseen, and just as much energy went into making her gardens look like they were a part of a forest as it took to tend to them, and the forest was always one off-season from consuming her hard labour.

Even her home, which she had taken to living in for twelve years without the slightest desire to breach that seclusion, looked abandoned on the surface.

It had been an old-style farming house that had belonged to a family of four. It had already been abandoned, although freshly, by the time she came upon it heavily wounded and exhausted. She had left the furniture where it was, and still passed it by consistently every time she left. She did not need to make up stories for the family that once lived there, photographs and diaries having occupied those winter days and nights where she could do nothing but sit in her home underneath the home and wait for the sun to return and dangers to pass.

In that moment, she was foraging in the forest, the hoe slung over her shoulder from when she had been clearing abandoned lots that were further out of her usual range; from houses that had since been destroyed. She had only found them because she was looking at an old map of the region, and because she saw metal remains in odd places that compelled her to look at all.

No one lived in that place, and no one had for a long time. Anyone that was still alive was either underground or in the city, and if they were in the city it was very unlikely they were still human. It was rare to see a human at all; it was easier to be anything else.

She had been by herself for as long as she had that she noticed him immediately.

Standing on the cusp of what had been an old walking trail, a good four meters away, she had caught the scent of him before anything else. It had been a foreign scent that alerted her, something warm like cinnamon, the slightest tinge of smoke. As though he had been near a campfire and cooking recently.

Turning his way, he was impossible to ignore.

If it were not for the dusty pink of his hair, then the vibrant red of his hoodie would have given him away. He looked new and fresh, had not been wandering far despite how far they were from civilisation. The only way he would look as new as he did was if he arrived recently.

Releasing the grip of herbs below, she observed him with cold dark eyes. She always wore greens and browns of various hues, blending into the background. Her hair was always tied back and hidden with cloth and hat. No sharp edges on her, nothing intended to stand out, but he was clearly watching her, and she had no idea how long he had been there.

Slowly, she stood, and his eyes tracked her.

His eyes, which were not that sickly buttery colour associated so often with them. She knew better than to attach eye colour to vampirism, though. She had known that many did not have that colour of eye, especially when well fed.

Well fed may well mean that he had no interest in eating her, but sadism was a different matter.

"Announce yourself." She called out, her voice raspy from neglect.

"O-oh, hi there, I'm Yuj-,"

"No. What are you? A human, a vampire, something in between?"

"Well, what are you?"

"I asked you first."

"I'm not answering until you answer." A human, she thought, and a stupid one. She knelt back down, picking up her wicker basket full of foraged foods, slinging over the other shoulder, her hoe jostled off her back to be held in her hands. A weapon, if need be, but she was certain that if the stranger caused her trouble that he would be easy to topple. She started back down the path she wandered, and heard him fumbling behind her. "Hey- where are you going?"

She mused on the exceptionally loud figure behind her with his clambering footsteps, his voice trying to catch her attention, and his overall brightness and decided that he must have been a pet to a vampire at some point for she knew no human that would draw such attention to themselves otherwise. She could see no way that he could have survived unless he was someone's pet.

It was not uncommon for a vampire to fawn over a child and decide to keep them until they grew too large to handle or lost their charm, before killing them or abandoning them on a doorstep. In this case, the doorstep was the forest. There were many resources to survive if a person knew the forest, but not if that person was a pet; especially with bears about. With no humans around to help them, they would die either way.

She glanced his way again, watching him semi-tumble down the slight hill. He was not dressed to survive, and would have died of exposure before hunger got to him. A bear or other wildlife if he was unfortunate, or a sharp fall off a hill. Of broken arm or leg.

She pressed a frown firmly against her face, forcing the image out of her head. It would be a pity, she decided, to have seen a human corpse of someone so energetic; such cheer was rare.

"Quit ignoring me, will ya, I'm trying to-," Despite his overall clumsy nature, she did observe him as strong and having only fallen behind because he was stumbling over roots, but he was always fast to catch up. Numbers were playing in her mind as she came to a conclusion. "Can you-,"

"Speak quiet, you are very loud."

"What do-,"

"I will not ask you again." She said, turning, dismissing the pout on his face and pretending she did not notice the middle fingers that were pointed at her back as she continued down the hill. "We speak when we get to my home and not a second before."

Even when he walked quietly, he made noise. She tuned into the cause of the sound and realised it was his shoes which squeaked with every step, alerting her to where he was at all times. An odd thing, she mused, for a vampire to attach to a human for their hearing was exceptionally good and even without the shoes the heartbeat would be audible. Unless the purpose was not for the vampire but for the human. To remind him of the fact that he was always heard. That it would be difficult for him to escape on his own.

He had not needed to do that, it appeared.

"Wow, your house is a dump." He said, gawking at the remains of the family home.

"This is not my home." Walking through the remains as she so often did, she had to guide him away from the many distractions of the building, compelled as she had been done to search through history. He was not even through the front door, lingering at the entrance and leaning closer in to get a better look. "No one lives in this place, come on."

He was worse once he was inside, trying to grab at things. She swatted at his hands, almost having to pull him away from a diary.

Her home was under the house, the entrance was a secret room behind a bookcase filled with books on military history, heavy to most people. Pushing it aside, she stepped in, but her companion hesitated still, alert as though he had seen a ghost. She would not be surprised if there were ghosts there.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Would you prefer to sleep in the forest?"

"No."

"Then enter." She did not shove him, but she did press firmly on his back to force him in, watching him stumble. She pulled the bookcase back in place with the handles installed in the back.

The room they entered was bare. Tatami mats lining the floor, Half wooden walls, half clay, with not a single window. She had no idea on what it used to be, the shelves having been wiped clean long before she moved there. The closest she could think of was storage.

However, when she rolled back one of the tatami mats, there was a metal hatch revealed that easily lifted. Automatic lights illuminated the ladder down, flickering down to a corridor barely visible many meters down. She took off her wicker bag, attached it to the pulley system on the opposite side of the hatch from the ladder and watched it roll down before taking off her hat and slapping it on top of the stranger's head, him adjusting it as she started climbing down the ladder.

"Come along, and close the hatch when you are in, the mat will roll back on its own." She was quick to the bottom of the ladder, watching him clamber down after her and closing the hatch. She wondered if his hair was naturally pink or if it was a colour chosen for him; intending to make him stand out. She could tell the hoodie was new, not a single loose seam. It meant he had been adored recently, as well as abandoned recently. Laying the hoe in the tool bucket, she picked up her bag again just as he settled on the ground. He looked less vibrant away from so much green. He still stood out, in her opinion, but not as sorely.

"Follow me." Through another set of doors she went. Then another set. Then another, each time the lights above her flickering into life, turning off as they stepped through another set.

"Sure is a lot of doors to be invited through."

"That is the purpose." Was her sharp response. In the underground, where many homes were connected through various corridors and the hopes that if one entry was found it would not lead to an endangerment of every human in the space, it was vital to have such doors to delay any trouble. Some people put charms on the doors, warnings, and other means of covering up the fact that there was a door there at all. Deterrents for anyone unfamiliar with the space. "Your name. Announce it."

"Oh! I'm Yuji Itadori." The name did not ring any bells. Itadori did not belong to any famous vampire families, at least. It seemed a plain name.

"Is Itadori your last name, or the name of who kept you?" She did not see the expression he made, then, which was sour. She was focused more on taking off her shoes at the entryway, finally in her home and relieved for its familiarity.

It had taken constant work to get it perfect, but the foundations for it were there long before she moved in. She had installed the lights and the metal hatch, but someone else had put in the ladder, the cork foundations, and the wooden floors and white plaster walls. She had put in the stove, the decorations, the shoji doors, and made it her own space.

"It was-," He hesitated, watching her take off the scarf around her head, sky blue hair shining through, still pinned in place. "It is my last name."

"You may call me Kei. It is not my name, but it is what people call me." She responded, pulling off her coat and hanging it at the entrance way. Yuji started taking off his shoes, still watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

Kei was an odd figure, it was certain, because she could not be mistaken for a vampire. She had dark skin and freckles from constant labour outside without sunscreen. She was rough and ruddy, dressed stroppy, and had the darkest eyes that were always furrowed even when happy. No effort when into making herself appealing.

With the shoes off, he was already running to the sofa, throwing himself against its soft fabric as though deprived. Kei observed new socks, not the slightest indication of age on them. Marching over to the kitchen area with her bag, she opened it and began separating what she gathered.

"How long were you out there?" She asked, at last.

"Out there?"

"In the woodlands?"

"Oh." She did not look away from her work. She had gathered a good amount, and would have enough to indulge Yuji in not starving on his first day. "A couple of days?"

"You did this and yet I see not a speck of dust on you?" The doubt was visible on her face. "Very well." It was possible, she thought, that he had different clothes and some supplies left with him. A final gesture for the good company the pet had been before being abandoned. Like leaving a dog with a water bowl before leaving it on the side of the road. There was something even crueller about it, in her opinion. It gave hope.

She let out a sigh, considering the responsibility she was unloading onto herself. It had not been the first time she would have to teach a person to survive, it would not be the last.

"Those that do not work do not get to eat. Come here, I will show you what to do with this produce." He climbed out of the sofa, perked up at the potential of learning.

Many days passed by, and Kei had little regrets in teaching Yuji what she could. He was enthusiastic to learn, and he was a good cook. He seemed to thrive on it, or on Kei enjoying the food. With an extra pair of hands, it was also good for foraging and farming, and Kei was able to clear extra lots for more food.

Underground, where she spent most of her time otherwise, became familiar to Yuji. It was where food was traded, where she showed him various shops and greeted figures that had known of her even before she entered the underground. Music and clothes and food; a city under the city.

There were times where Yuji faltered. He hesitated often in entering new parts of the underground. When he learned that many people sold their blood for extra income, he was astounded by it, and refused to sell his own. Kei did not force him, saw no point in it for her own blood was the rare O- that was always in high demand. Hers was exceptionally popular because it was consistent in taste, only turning slightly sweeter with better moods.

Kei only truly acknowledged the problem after two weeks when she decided to go above ground to a soba bar with Yuji to celebrate surplus money which meant she would get some new fabric to make him a decent pillow.

He had lingered too long at the entrance, and Kei paused and realised something vital.

Two weeks she had Yuji in her abode, and she realised she still did not know if he was human.

It was a feeling that came to her sharply, a heavy weight that had her narrow her eyes at him. The cook had seen her silhouette at the door, that hanging shadow as she assessed Yuji in front of her still not entering because she had not invited him in as she so often did.

"Yuji Itadori, are you human or are you a vampire?" She could see it in his eyes, the way he had been caught out. Despite the glow of the soba bar behind her, his eyes did not reflect the light back. They were dark, incredibly so, like her own.

"C-can we go somewhere else?" She thought on it, and the more she thought on the nature of Yuji the more he was anomalous. The moment he took off those shoes, he had been exceptionally quiet. His breathing was shallow to a concerning degree, and it had always sounded like it was a conscious practice of his. As though he were doing it on purpose, instead of automatically.

"Why were you truly out in that forest?" He did not talk about it, and Kei had not asked. She should have asked more, it was strange how little she knew. It was stranger still how willing she had been to let a stranger into her home when she was so strict about it otherwise. As though compelled to. Hypnosis did not work on her, and yet the concern lingered in her mind.

"I don't know, just out for a walk. Kei, can we go home?" He was panicking, the look of a cornered animal on his face, glancing about anywhere but Kei. He looked on the edge of running, he looked on the edge of crying. She could hear his breathing clearly then. Erratic. However hard she strained, though, there was no heartbeat. Her first instinct was to apologise, her second was to realise that the most dangerous part of a vampire was the fact that they looked human. They looked human because they were once human, but no longer were.

She wanted to blame it on her long isolation. She wanted to blame it on her soft spot for lost things. That old instinct that always pushed her to fight and protect.

It was always that old nature of hers that compelled her to run into danger and bite at whatever stood in her way. It came easily to her. Yuji had looked lost, had sounded lost, and like anyone who would see a stray on the streets, her bleeding heart compelled her to pick him up, having no idea that he was not what he appeared to be.

He looked very young then, more so because he was crying. Crying and trying to wipe them away, forcing himself to not cause a scene and justify his actions, but sentences were incomplete and words were bleeding together.

Kei could not help but pity him. With one word, she could banish him from her life forever, and it would be as simple as that; they would never meet again. Cut off entirely from one another.

It sat poorly in her mind, because he looked so terrified of the notion. She had never seen him scared, and she did not like it. She was certain that if she managed to banish him, he would be at the edge of the underground begging for forgiveness.

He seemed freshly turned. Keeping his nature a secret, it was possible that he was turned against his will, and was trying to keep it secret just as much because he was afraid of what he was.

"Cease your tears, come in swiftly." She turned away from him, walking through the doors she left open and towards a booth.

She knew he was inside because he made noise, the sound of sniffling clear to her. They were not crocodile tears. He had truly been afraid of being abandoned. His face was red with rubbing.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I know I should have told you, but-,"

"Enough of that." She did not mean to scold. "I am hungry and I wish to eat." Soba could not fill his stomach. Being a vampire, he would need blood. In the two weeks he had been with her, he had not drank blood that she was aware of. He had seen it being traded, she realised, with an intense focus.

She ordered her soba, and he picked his own. She was brooding, tapping chopsticks against the wooden table.

"When was the last time you consumed blood?"

He flinched, two bowls of soba their way. Kei held hers close, glad for the warmth of it.

"A week before we met."

"Fucking hell" She did not mean to say it out loud. "Were you turned by your assailant and then immediately flee the scene?"

"I mean- sorta."

"Fuck's-," She rested the chopsticks against her forehead. She had not snapped them yet, tapping at the centre of her forehead contemplating what to do with a furrow of her brows. Yuji was actively not looking at her, shuffling in his seat. "Was it one of the individuals from the Geto clan?"

"No." He continued to stare at nothing. Towards the entry. "It was my… brother."

Kei kept quiet, understanding immediately why he would say nothing on the matter. Being turned by family, against his will, was something altogether tragic. It was a strong betrayal, something that shook the foundations. Kei opened her mouth, eating her soba, before starting to speak.

"You are welcome to sta-," All the lights were blown out in an instant.

It was only a second, and yet in that second it took for them to flicker back on, the cook was gone. Not even the rustling of cloth to tell her where he went, only realising where he was when she felt the dripping on the crown of her head, red oozing onto the table. Soba ruined.

She had not felt the presence come so close, but knew it was there soon after. Ducking down, she was quickly covered by Yuji. She felt the air above them being sliced, almost at neck level. Nothing came close, a pause before the chaos.

A shame it would be, she thought, to die without having eaten all of her soba.

She should have kept the door shut.

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

K

ei could not remember the details of when she first encountered a vampire. Her mother had always been strict with who she interacted with, and her life at the beginning had always been very quiet and monotonous, stuck inside more often than not. Her friends were restricted to those her mother had already verified, and those that she could cling onto, she held on tight to.

He had been a quiet boy, young but already responsible for his younger siblings; the youngest having been born too early and very sick. She had often been at his house to help him and his father in tending to the others, and found relief in being able to do something. Her mother had relaxed around them, found them trustworthy and seeing Kei smile when she so rarely did was something she could not snatch away.

It was on the way to that family home when she first encountered a vampire, slumped over a stone well with the head tilted forward and chest still. She recognised the clothes he was wearing and found herself stuck on what to do, taking several steps back to call to a neighbour for help.

An old man answered her fumbling words, pointing and gesturing to the figure she knew as her friend's father cold and quite dead with no apparent cause. The old man called to his son who Kei knew as a nearby farmer with broad shoulders and a foul temper, who squinted his angry eyes at her and then at the corpse.

It was as he was lifting the body to put it out of sight that there was a sharp jolt from the corpse and the man was no longer a man but something starving.

That farmer had such a chilling screech, but what truly lingered in Kei's mind were the tears in the vampire's eyes.

The memory lingered at the oddest times as Yuji yanked Kei out of an oncoming blow. The figure was no clumsy, fresh vampire fumbling to stay alive. A professional that had deemed them a target, she focused on his face, sly in its ease.

"We are in the middle of eating, sire." She said plainly, her heart as steady as her voice. "A celebration, of sorts."

"What a coincidence, I am celebrating too." He was all smiles, teeth glinting. They were stretched too long, his face looking disproportionate as he circled around the main table.

"Oh, pray tell." Yuji was clutching too tight, his breathing very clear. Not quite true, it was more the hissing through teeth. His fangs were far too small to be intimidating. He looked weaker than the figure. Every muscle was tensed up ready to move.

"The return of a very important figure." His eyes were on Yuji. "He is a nightmare to take hold of."

"Is he in the habit of running away?"

"Oh, more often than you can handle." Hissing became a rumbling in his throat, almost a growl. It was not intimidating in the slightest, Kei suspecting that he was more afraid.

Kei found herself calm despite the circumstances. She had been in many a dangerous situation and knew she could defend herself well enough, but to defend herself and Yuji, who was holding onto her like a rope, was difficult.

She found herself reflecting on the second encounter she had with a vampire. Similar to the first encounter, and not long after, it was down that same dirt path towards the family home, flustered and red in the face and searching.

The village had been busy, despite the disaster unfolding, and she saw him there at the steps into his home, others passing him by without a care. How pale he looked, how disorientated with his arms limp by his sides. Kei had seen the red down his neck before she saw him turn and saw that his eyes were not his own. His mouth was hanging slightly ajar though no blood spilled from it, and in a short instance she wondered when he had turned.

"We are dear friends." She told him, a rare stammer in her voice, taking one step forward. He took a step forward too.

Seeing him up close, two instincts battled against each other. The first to help him, the second to protect herself.

The second instinct took hold, she stumbled back and ran as fast as she could. She heard him behind her, a fluster of uncoordinated movements, what could have been words struggling out of her throat. She did not know that he was still himself, then, that he was trying to speak. All she understood was that his father had killed a man, and that she did not want to die.

She had always been able to run faster than him, and ran faster still to try and escape, to find the only security she understood then.

Her mother, who saw her and saw him and made that quick decision that, at the time, she thought saved her life. Her full weight flung into her mother's body, her mother took the perfume bottle she had been holding and threw its contents into his face, blinding and burning him with its sharp sting. She then picked Kei up and ran with her.

Kei rarely saw that friend. They were not enemies, and after so much chaos had unfolded, it had been better to hear from him what had happened that day, and that he did not blame her for the burning in his eyes. He did suffer from dry-eyes since, however.

Perfume was hard to come by without a high cost, but deodorant was common enough with many vampires having unpleasant odours attached to them. It happened when the shift went wrong, some smelling strongly of nail polish remover or ammonia, and doing what little they could to mask the scent and feel more human. She had always carried two bottles with her, perfectly fitted to the pocket and an easy weapon to carry around that would not be declared a weapon.

As the vampire shimmied around the edges of the central cooking area, closer and closer still, she uncapped the deodorant. He was a patchwork of long healed scars on old skin. He would not have gotten those scars as a vampire. Underneath bumpy red scars, thin silvery ones could be seen. More scar than flesh.

"You are beautiful." She told him, causing him to startle into a pause. Yuji tensed near her. She took out the deodorant bottle and sprayed it directly into his eyes. He let out a yelp, shielding himself and flailing, just smacking it out of her hands as Yuji picked her up and ran, leaping over the cooking station and through the exit.

The benefits of an underground network was that there were many way to get to it. Many doors that were in places easy to dismiss, through alleyways and in shops and ruined buildings. Some in people's flats.

"To your left. Now right. Through here. Open the door."

The door almost came off its hinges with the amount of force it was torn open, the two of them stumbling through. Kei slammed the door shut just as a heavy thud struck the door, the metal pushed in slightly. She let out a huff, stepping away as the figure continued to kick at it, more out of childish tantrum than a belief he would get through.

"We keep moving."

It was quiet as they walked. The corridors were tiled in the city, the remains of an underground train system no longer used. The tracks were only used in some areas for transport, but the stairs they walked down were rarely used. Few people had reason to go above ground, and the station they were walking through was one of the least used. The lights still worked, however, but their footsteps echoed; no effort was put into making it quiet.

"Can you recall his appearance?"

"He's…" He paused. "His name's Mahito."

"What an absurd name."

"Doesn't your name just mean 'smart'?"

"He seemed to have implied that you were someone he was looking for. Is he associated with this brother of yours?"

"He works under Sukuna." Sukuna… she heard the name before. She could not think of why.

"Is Sukuna a cult leader?" There were only a few in the area, and only one that held any massive influence. That was the Geto clan.

"No." Kei was relieved. "But he does work with them."

She almost wished she left him to rot in the forest.

"What work does he engage that involves cult leaders?"

"A… banker." A huff spilled out of her lips. It would make sense, then how Yuji was able to dress so well. Business in blood banking was exceptionally powerful. Every vampire needed blood to survive, and if someone had the blood they had the power to starve the world. A dangerous bargaining chip, everyone wanted that power to some degree; it was the only real way to keep safe.

Kei did not say much after that, the corridor opening up to the tunnel of an underground station. There was little care put into it, but it was not messy. The lights still worked, and the bathrooms were still accessible. She paused, looking around, before walking towards one of the benches and sitting down.

In the reflective shine of a mirror, she could see the blood having soaked on the top of her head. The violent contrast of red turning brown against the blue of her hair; it was a miracle, she thought, that Yuji had not bitten off her head at that moment. It was not something she believed he would be able to hold onto for long; three weeks without blood was too long as it was.

"Blood type?"

"Uh… O-?"

"That is such a coincidence. That happens to be my blood type." She rolled up her sleeve, a wrist stretched out. "Eat."

He hesitated, he always hesitated, before kneeling down in front of Kei. Holding her arm like it was something fragile, easy to destroy, before trembling lips seized around her wrist and she felt the puncture of fangs through skin.

It was not painful, a neutral experience to her, and she wondered whether Yuji was holding back for fear of causing pain. He was still shaking, one hand clenched tight to the elbow, the other holding her hand; as though seeking security. When he released, it was with strain. The wound healed over immediately, pink flesh fading to the tanned freckles Kei was littered with.

"How do you feel?"

"...Better."

"Good. We keep moving."

Notes:

As the ol saying goes 'don't trust in people, trust in insurance'. The various names that Yuji is given by reader is funny. Also reader straight up going with flirting like- weapon of destruction there.

Chapter 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Hey, why were you asking for my blood type earlier?" Thoroughly washed and dressed in a simple white kimono, Kei had been rummaging through old paperwork when Yuji spoke.

Since the incident of his vampiric status had been cleared, Yuji appeared significantly more relaxed than he had been before, the tension in his shoulders having slipped, and whatever flicker of anxiety that coiled around him having disappeared entirely.

Kei set the papers down at the table in front of the sofa, starting to flick through years. Kei, like all people in the underground, made a habit of sacrificing a pint of blood monthly for the money. Her own was rare at O- and preferred by many exceptionally wealthy vampires for its traditional taste.

"It is preferred by many to consume blood that is identical to your own. O- blood is preferred by other blood types for the same reasons it is favoured for blood transfusions. As you are also O-, it is rather surprising that you were not pursued frequently for your blood." She spoke, finding the years she was looking for. The name, Sukuna, in the newspapers. "Unless you were pursued, however if that were the case I would be inclined to believe that your brother would not permit you to turn into a vampire; it would be considered a waste, as horrifying as that is to say."

"It is horrifying." Yuji was quiet, tilting his head sideways to read the newspaper that Kei was looking at. She turned it towards him.

"How would you describe Sukuna?"

"I would-," He closed his mouth, pressing his lips together in contemplation. "He comes across as crude, rude, and mean, and he is. Everyone's below him and he only cares when they can entertain him or he can fuck them."

"Sukuna sounds like a particularly delightful figure to interact with." Kei said flatly, finding the description hard to match with the idea of Sukuna not exploiting Yuji's blood.

"But when he's out of work he's… fun. He's nice to those he likes, and protective. It doesn't matter if someone is human or not, he does his best. He took good care of me and…" He pondered. "Kechizu and Eso."

Kei stilled. Those were names that she knew, and had not heard in some time.

"How are you associated with those individuals?" She asked, watching his face, watching him look away. Shy, even.

"Those are my brothers." It did not make sense to her. Yuji had been human for some time, and was recently in the world. With the age of Kechizu and Eso, it did not make sense that Yuji would be their brother, especially because their father was dead. Unless he came from their mother, which had her hesitate. The mother-

"At what point did you discover your blood type?"

"Recently. I didn't need to know it." Kei stayed quiet, then focused on what was in front of her. An A4 lined piece of paper with several numbers on it. Circled in red was Mei-Mei. An old friend, some would say, but Kei would call her a slightly less annoying resource. Kei contemplated what could have changed between Sukuna and Yuji. If Yuji had not known his blood type until recently, then it may have been the trigger to Sukuna changing him. Something that was not meant to be known, he may have considered it too grim a situation for his brother. Drained of his blood until he had nothing left to give. In the underground, O- could be traded with ease with the mutual understanding that if one person was sacrificed for money, then anarchy would follow. Above ground, humans were fair game.

"One pint of O- has a value of 160000 yen if it is low quality, however I have sold my own for significantly higher a cost. It may be distressing to hear, but it is entirely possible that Sukuna was intending to protect you from exploitation. It is a more comfortable existence to be able to consume any type of blood to being able to feed multiple vampire types. In this place, you are in control of selling your blood, but within the city humans have very little control."

"I… suppose." His arms were crossed, resistant to the idea, but he did not disagree. "Your blood tasted of matcha."

"I have been told it is quite consistent in flavour, only that it becomes more bitter or sweeter depending on my emotions at the time."

"It was slightly bitter."

"I imagine so." Kei was still reflecting on the associating with Kechizu and Eso. It would mean that he was associated with- She still struggled with the idea of Yuji, and of Sukuna. Names that she had not come across before. Something was off, she knew, but her mind did not connect with what she understood. She needed to contact someone.

"I thought I would be more hungry and blood-thirsty, honestly."

"I have found that adding certain foods into your diet can supplement blood to some degree, although blood is an easier means of remaining healthy. However, so long as you continue to eat, you will not need to concern yourself with bloodlust."

"You sure?" Kei had heard of every stereotype regarding vampires. How vampirism made people crueller, colder, and altered brain chemistry. She suspected that such concerns likely came from fears on the origins of vampirism. In earlier days, how it was thought to be demons or curses. How in later days rabies was suspected, how many believed people had completely lost control, especially because the first blood was the most painful; the need to feed overriding everything else, and how clarity only came when that bloodlust was satisfied. By that point, the damage was done and the vampire was left with the consequences of needing to seek their own treatment. It was the result of witnessing such tragedy as often as she had that she found what little treatment she could to ease the pain.

It was also due to this that she was able to confirm an absolute truth:

Humans were humans.

Vampirism did not change a human's mind. If someone was cold and cruel, it was circumstances alone that changed them.

"You will always be you. Any and every action that you take is something you have full control over. You do not need to worry about becoming a monster if you do not want to become one." Kei stood up with the piece of paper, walking near the entrance to the underground, sealed with red door. On the other side, various talismans lined the door, the colour of the door almost entirely invisible. On her side, there was a small table with a landline phone connected, and a red floor pillow which she sat down on, picking up the phone and dialling Mei's number.

It rang once, twice, three times.

"And here I thought you had up and died."

"The universe has not graced me with the blessings of a gentle death."

"How ambitious of you in this economy. What has you calling me at this hour? You know time's expensive."

"There is 190000 yen in it for you if you can riddle me up some information on a figure called Sukuna."

A sharp whistle came from the other end of the phone.

"375000."

"190000 and a pint of O-."

"Where you getting that liquid gold from? Suddenly you're going up the ranks in my priorities."

"I require at least four A4 pages worth of information in 12 size text, the margins at 0cm, single spacing, at least ten words per line. Only three pictures are permitted, and one of those pictures has to be of his face. Deliver it to the green letterbox between East Causeway 17, and if I receive another glitter bomb, I will deduct points."

"...I would be insulted by that list if I had not been the one to cause it to exist."

"For exceptionally useful information, I will deliver quality food as well."

"It better be coconut flavoured."

"That is entirely in your hands."

"I'll have it done by tomorrow afternoon. Though I will say if you want to know more about Sukuna you could just wander into the bank and flutter those big ol' eyelashes at him. Camels are jealous of you."

"...Farewell." She hung up the phone, rubbing the space between her eyebrows. Kei understood one thing about Mei and that was in her lust for money. Almost nothing overrode it. It did mean that she was consistent in her mischief and that it could be quelled by a high enough fortune. Kei understood it, in a way, with things being as expensive as they were. It was a constant battle of not needing to buy.

"Who was that?"

"A troublesome person that values money above everything else."

"If you wanted to know about my brother you could have just asked me."

"That is certain, but there is some information that you would not be able to provide, primarily his bank information."

"Why… would you need something like that?" Concern in his voice.

"A mere background check. I wish to observe what he has engaged with prior to your transformation."

Yuji was in the kitchen, as he preferred to be. He enjoyed cooking, he was always humming odd tunes and dancing in an awkward way in that space; in his element. Kei suspected that he was compensating for the lack of blood with food, having noted how little blood he took from her. It was strange, to her, how well his endurance in sunlight was, having shown not a single inch of struggle against it. Anomalous even by the standards of humans, it had her mind dancing in circles as she wondered how he could be associated with the likes of Kechizu and Eso and be what he was. Her mind told her, often, to not ignore it. That there was something she needed to know.

"I shall take out a pint of blood tomorrow. The old pint I have reserved will go to Mei, but the new pint will be for you."

"Are you…" He paused. "Are you okay with that? You said O- was really valuable."

"I did, but you are clearly still very hungry." She gestured to the bowls practically licked clean, a smile stretching onto her face as his face flushed. Not as bright as it would be if he was well-fed, she imagined. He did look a touch grey. "It is fine, I am not inclined to starve you, and I have already decided to tend to your well being."

"Thank you for taking care of me."

It meant returning to the city central, however. Mei would never leave the city, would be followed for such an odd turn of route and the mail box would be investigated, which would be nothing short of a pain. At least Kei did not have to leave the tunnel system to get to the mail box, mail dropping straight down the shoot to the sorting bin underneath.

"Well, it appears she really wanted that treat." Like a deprived dog, but that was only natural living in the city. Kei could tell the envelope was dense with information. A brown envelope with what felt like an entire manuscript inside.

An old pint of blood, sealed in double layered glass and wrapped in bubble wrap. Plastic bags were a preferred mode of transport, but those were easier to sniff out, and meant that any wandering vampire would know blood was nearby and easy for the taking.

At least they would not know what type.

Kei put the envelope full of money and the bottle into the dumbwaiter next to the shoot before opening the large brown envelope, skimming through the information to confirm whether she had been deceived by Mei. It did not look like nonsense, and could see a very active, and very rich, bank account. He could clearly afford to take care of himself, even without Yuji's rare blood.

One thing struck her interest.

Among the various pages was a folded up note with a number on it.

Was it possible that it was Sukuna's number, Kei wondered as she picked it out and looked at it, wondering how Mei could have gotten such a thing. She understood that Mei worked in a bank, contemplating whether she used that opportunity to access Sukuna's number. Was it possible, she thought, that she worked at Sukuna's bank?

"Do you recognise this writing?" You handed it to Yuji, who had been leaning over to read the bank statements.

"Yeah, that's Sukuna's." Now it brought about that question. Did she take it from him, or did he leave it there? Kei had no idea which, and either way it was a risky situation. It was entirely possible that she decided to snag a night with him; she was so inclined to do anything for good money. Yuji had flat out stated that he was 'horny', so perhaps he had been expecting a return call from her. Why give Kei the number, then? She doubted it would lead to anything positive. If anything, Kei believed she may aggravate the man with her notoriously bland responses. She folded it into her pocket and put the coconut drink in the box, closed the lid, and put it on the dumbwaiter leading up to the shop above ground. Mei would get it soon enough. Kei had other things to brood on.

Kei had confirmed your theory on the blood matter as well. He had been eating in excess because he had not had enough blood. Even with the pint in front of him, he hesitated, turning away from her. As though she had not stuck the needle in herrself and drained a pint of her blood.

"I do not expect a lion to hide his kill just because I am made of meat. You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Still, he tucked into the corner that was becoming his space.

After the disaster that was eating at the soba shop, Yuji did not have the bedding Kei intended to buy him. His corner was solid floor covered with tatami mats, with nothing soft to ease his pain. He had taken some pillows from the sofa, but it was not as comfortable as it ought to be, and Kei had tossed a duvet at him which had been rolled up into a makeshift mattress. She intended to face the potential threat of Mahito soon, if only to stop the grumbling age of his back, although he never complained. Yuji was never one to complain, he just kept going.

She did not call Sukuna, knowing it would be a foolish idea, instead dialling Mei's number once again.

"You gave me the number of Sukuna. Why?"

She did not answer, silence lingering in the air like TV static. Kei could feel her ear straining to pop, as though she were in an aeroplane.

"Why, so you would call me." His accent was old, his way of speaking was similar to her own. That connected her with the realisation that he was within the age range of herself and-

"Greetings, Sukuna." He laughed, and it was such an odd thing to hear. Kei ondered if he smoked. Far too rough a cackle, it felt fake in the worst way possible. Maybe he was drunk. "Well, since you are here, I suppose we must talk."

Kei knew Yuji was nearby even without looking his way, looming near the doorframe with an expression that could only be described as anxious dread. Not that she could see him, she had her eyes focused on the red door, suppressing the odd discomfort that coiled too tight around her.

"That we must, that we must. You know, this picture of you, I wonder if you are uglier in person. Mahito is terrible with drawing, but he is at least honest."

"Your brother is well." Kei had no interest in how Sukuna found her visually, or for Mahito's supposed art skills, but what did matter was that now the trouble at hand knew what she looked like. Even if it was only vague. "He has eaten as well."

"...Is that so." She did always have a talent for sucking the humour out of even the most comedic of tyrants. She glanced at Yuji.

"Do you wish to speak with him?" Yuji violently shook his head. "He does not wish to talk to you. He is very upset with everything that happened."

"Oh, are you sure about that?"

"He looks like an especially constipated bunny rabbit, I am certain."

"Hey-,"

"So he will be staying with me until he decides not to anymore. Do not waste energy unnecessarily by trying to harass him or myself."

"Trying to negotiate with me? You know, there are plenty of humans that will happily go down in those tunnels and drag you up if I will it." It was troublesome, she thought, that he knew of the underground, but without the consent to enter he would not be able to pass through. Her area was especially unknown. Beyond Yuji, no one else had ever entered it.

"If I was negotiating, I would tell you so. I am simply telling you what you need to know, nothing more nothing less." There was a click of the tongue. Kei would bet her entire pantry on him being unhappy on being refused. "Although if you want to soften the blow on having upset your brother so severely, deliver his bedding. Unlike yourself, I do not live in decadence and cannot grapple with the financial burden of supplying a new futon."

It was a lie, but if she did not have to spend money, she would exploit any opportunity.

"Giving orders?"

"Giving suggestions." She did not like to be on the phone too long, especially with the worry of it being tracked. "You already know where to send it if she's not dead. If she is dead, good luck to you. Farewell."

If he had a response, she did not hear it, hanging up.

"Holy shit."

A perfectly positive sign from Yuji, she thought.

"That was badass."

"If he kills me, I want you to make him regret it until the day he withers down to nothing, but not in a vengeful way. In an inconvenient way. Like tripping on his phone charger, or always being just short of change."

"I doubt he'll kill you, that was too cool."

She stood up, leaving the space and contemplating what to do next. If all else failed, she thought, she was a very good fighter, and a very good charmer. She had slain bigger prey before.

Notes:

Me, refusing to name the person for information. Me, making it very obvious their lust for money. (It might be a familiar face to those who know.) I also imagine Sukuna sitting in that sad lil apartment on the bed twirling the phone cord like 'bestie tell me all the secrets' meanwhile this person that has no name is leaning in trying to hear Kei's most brutal and vicious of charms work their way on Sukuna, who is unsure if he is insulted yet. (He is, but in the way you are insulted when a cat doesn't play with you.)

Chapter 4

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"He is attempting to bribe me."

"Is it working?"

"No, but I shall let him believe it is working."

As promised, the bedding had been delivered to the expected location. Mei was at least still alive, and she had never revealed the locations under threat, but always would under money. Kei would cut her off entirely if she was not useful. Kei often asked Mei if she was a masochist, and Mei would laugh as though it were the funniest joke in the world. Kei was inclined to believe she was unaware of her masochism.

The curse of bankers, she decided, was they had to be a touch destructive to survive. Kei knew Mei was, and her companions were often in trouble too even when they were trying not to be. Especially the quiet ones.

She had received the bedding, as expected, taking it out of the plastic wrap and shaking it out thoroughly, checking every space for anything that could track them home. Nothing she could see, setting it on the bench next to the delivery shoot. Yuji was quick to start folding it away, a smile stretching onto his face upon seeing something familiar. Well, someone would be cosy from then on: the material was far more luxurious than hers; wool padding and densely warm. If she were a crueller person, she would deprive him of it and claim it as her own.

She wished she had ordered two futons.

It was what she had been expecting, so it was a surprise to see there was more in the box. A box of chocolate strawberries. Mei was definitely alive if he knew to try and bribe her with that. The second item was a wool black sweater. Crew neck and suspiciously accurate to her proportions. Yes, she was definitely alive and definitely in trouble.

The last picture drew a smile from Kei. It was a crudely drawn picture of herself. The one Mahito had drawn.

Hardly flattering, with a stick of a figure crudely drawn with a cartoonishly long face and angry black eyes. The hair did not match at all. She passed it to Yuji.

"The finest illustration of myself." Yuji glanced between the picture and Kei, eyes squinted.

"Y'know, I can see the resemblance." Kei knew she would pin it to the wall, even frame it, like a mother showing off her child's art work. Yuji handed it back to her, and she noticed writing on the back of it.

'I hope this will establish a good relationship between us.'

"I believe you told me your brother was rude and crude."

"He is." After a bit of pondering he spoke. "Unless it's a business deal."

"Oh, I must be one of his exhausting clients then. Let us see how much I can milk him for what he is worth." Yuji muttered something under his breath that Kei could not quite tune into.

It was obvious to her that there were no pleasantries between herself and the man called Sukuna. She had gone through the paperwork Mei had sent knowing full well that it had been filtered since Sukuna was actively involved. He had a lot of influence up above, linked up to far too many powerful people including the most troublesome cult of all. It almost seemed leisurely their engagements. From what she could see, at least, which meant there was probably even more. How he could have a human brother whilst being so happily involved with a blatantly anti-human group was mind boggling…

'Is it possible they found out about Yuji?' She had not seen a change in action in the records. Things had carried on as they had from the beginning. The annoying thing was that the only way she would understand Sukuna's actions were to ask him, and to be certain she would have to ask him in person.

It was too risky and too early for such things, she decided, as she carried things away, musing on what her next course of action was. If she began negotiations too early, he would assume the upper hand swiftly, however if she took too long in responding he had a higher risk of responding aggressively.

An in-person meeting was out of the question for now, she decided, watching Yuji scurry inside and unfold the bedding once again. Tatami mats first, then the mattress. She could facilitate an in-person meeting only after ensuring Yuji's cooperation. She were certain he would do it, but it would be risky. He was her only means of keeping Sukuna from removing her head from her shoulders. She could not give that away so easily.

She watched with arms crossed as Yuji flung the duvet into the air, its heavy material covering him fully.

Kei would do what she could to ensure his safety, she decided. It was a rare thing to see someone consistently enjoy themselves, and it was in her nature to pursue the protection of such things. She turned away, pining the picture to the wall. It was intended to insult her, but she liked the picture. She would let him know, if he ever confronted her again.

Three days was hardly any time at all to her, but it was a very long time for a brother wanting to hear from his sibling, unsurprised when her phone started to ring. He may not have gotten the location, but he did have a vital connection to her now. It was indeed his number, not Mei's, that showed up before she picked up the phone.

"Greetings again."

"It has been three days."

"It certainly has been."

"I was rather hoping to have a response from you by now."

"May I enquire on the sort of response you were hoping for?"

"Negotiations to release my brother."

"I am not holding your brother hostage, he is here of his own accord and will leave when he wants to leave." She heard something crack, resisting the urge to smile at the notion of upsetting him. Then again, it was not like he could see her face. "Yuji have I been holding you hostage?"

"No." Just loud enough that Sukuna could hear. She almost, almost, felt bad for him. Not enough to be pleasant, though.

"Can you put him on the phone?"

"He wishes to communicate with you." He flattened his lips, eyebrows furrowing. She thought he would refuse, go back to the sofa and read, but after a moment he nodded. She handed the phone over. "I am never far if you require assistance."

"Thanks."

She did not listen in, as tempting as it was. Nothing echoed in this space. It was meant to be as quiet as possible, so even when she was shouting and stomping about the space it was abnormal in its silent. If she were to listen in, you would have to be right next to him.

A full half hour passed by before she returned to the space, just in time for Yuji to hang up.

Kei was taller than Yuji, but looming over him in that moment she felt like a dreadful shadow. It did not help that he was resting his head in his hands, shielding his face from her. The conversation had been heavy.

"Is all well?"

"Yeah" After a moment, he breathed in and forced his hands away from his face. He was smiling, but she could tell if was not sincere. "I think you might have been onto something earlier."

"You are upset with him still, though."

"Yeah."

"Then remain upset. Come along, let us eat."

Yuji was quiet. Yuji was rarely quiet, even when he was still he was tapping a foot or drumming fingers. He was a person incapable of staying still, and moved a lot even in his sleep. Always distracted, always moving, always looking around, so not seeing him twitching was a concern almost immediately.

"Speak." He did not. Not at first. He continued to stare at the same page of the book he had been staring at for five minutes. It was not even a long text. Then, he blinked.

"He said the others wanted to talk to me, and gave me a place to meet up. It's near where Mahito…"

"Received an appropriate amount of perfume in the eyes?" He almost smiled. "Alone?"

"No, they, uh… want to see you."

"The more people that know my face, the harder it will be for me to go about my business as usual."

"Sorry."

"Enough of that. Perhaps they wish to confirm whether I match the beauty of my portrait." To know what she looked like, so they could never really lose sight of her if she caused too much trouble. Especially when they inevitably collected Yuji. Kei stood out once she was finally noticed. Especially when dots were connected. "What time is this arrangement settled at?"

"Afternoon tomorrow."

"Afternoon?" Putting the advantage on her side. Unless they were like Yuji and could handle daylight very well. Which was possible. Still, even if they could handle daylight it still put them at the standard level of humans. It could be a trap. She would think she had the advantage because of the hours, but they could have some humans lurking waiting to take her out. Would they do it so openly? She did not know.

Still, that violent curiousity that followed her better than any noose made itself known. She wanted to figure them out, to know this family of Yuji's and see what she could reap from them. Moreover, she wanted to know more on the situation. She could deny it all she wanted, but she did not want to send Yuji back to questionable circumstances if he did decide to return. There was also that itching sensation in the back of her mind that told her to pay attention to the connection to Eso and Kechizu. It was not something she could ignore. If she was meeting the other brothers, she would be meeting someone she already knew. Unless it was someone else that shared those names. Coincidences that shook her. However, she did not want to reveal her face either.

It was not a requirement to reveal her face.

"Yuji, I require your hoodie for this."

"Huh, why?"

"I will meet them, however I have no intentions of exposing my identity while I am there."

Notes:

For those of you that want to see how I see Kei in my mind, I have a link on my profile of some art I did.
Otherwise I keep the appearance as neutral as possible. Only things I have given away is 'looks like they could kill you and can', 'long eyelashes', and taller than Yuji here because we need at least one MC that is taller than a lot of people. Other things to note are tanned and well-built from constant labour out in the sun, scar on the eyebrow, and a distinct feature that makes them stand out (whatever is to your liking).
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Sukuna is always and always will be a bitch for me to write because I am used to him just punting his problems away. The image of Sukuna trying to negotiate is a horror film in itself.

Chapter 5

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Yuji was listening to Kei on the phone, head rested on his hand, pressed into the shaky kitchen table. He strained to listen to the other person on the phone, connecting the voice to a name. Mei, she was speaking to Mei.

"-yes, I require results promptly." He wondered what he was asking of her. Despite relative silence in the first two weeks of knowing Kei, she was often engaged in conversation once his vampiric status was unveiled. It was as though waking from hibernation, a feverish engagement in a world otherwise dismissed. He would not describe Kei as feverish in any manner; she was always steady, always calm, to the degree of concern. Her heart was always steady, her expression always flat. He wondered whether it was natural. "Of course, I understand… Very well. Farewell." She hung up the phone, hand twitching. He imagined that if she were more expressive she would have sighed, but instead she directed her attention to him.

Yuji reflected on many things as Kei picked out her padded green coat. It gave no shape to her, a blob of green with black leggings, old boots, and hair. Quickly covered, he noted, by a baseball cap and then his hoodie. It muffled her own scent, a distinct twang of fresh earth, with his own cinnamon warmth. Putting on a mask, then thick glasses, his first thought was on how she was not feeling the heat.

He was dressed in less, not having many clothes of his own. After the incident at the soba bar, something that left a twitch in his eye, his clothes were needing a firm clean and after much wandering that he did not witness, Kei was able to get him another hoodie and a winter jacket. It was poorer quality than his own clothes and she had sat down to strength the seams, but he kept them close and cared for them anyhow because Kei brought them for him. Kei, from what he observed, was not inclined to express herself directly but expressed herself through her actions. She would call someone a fool or a pack mule, but tip them double the value of what she took from them, added extra food to the bowl, and was offering her blood often to him. A performance, he imagined, to hide her softer self. It made sense; others often concealed that nature for their own safety. Good hearts were easily exploited.

"Let us go." Her voice was slightly muffled, but he heard it clearly. She turned away from him and stepped through the door, him rushing to pull on the disgustingly loud trainers. Even with Kei's best efforts, they made a great deal of noise and while he had not cared in earlier times, her own nature was rubbing off on him and he found it aggravating presently. It would be a relief, he thought, to reclaim shoes he preferred. Something silent.

The underground, no matter how often he travelled it, was fascinating to him. There were always hidden routes that he knew he could not travel on his own. Slivers of food stands, of homes behind shutters, portable shops with scraps, and long corridors he could not see the end of. Illuminated by fairy lights, LEDS, neon signs, and an assortment of candles. Old posters for movies he did not recognise, bands he had never heard of. A distinct and separate world from the one he knew. He wished he knew it sooner, he would have loved to explore it all. As often as possible, he intended to do so; a chance to see new things was rare.

"Mm, I enjoy his songs." Kei interrupted his thoughts. Or, rather, she had seen him pause and stopped herself to see what he was looking at. It was a singer he did not recognise. "I would best describe it as evil jazz."

"Is that even a thing?"

"In children's movies it is often available. Although, I would not recommend his performances for such things." She stared at the poster, before gesturing with her head. "Do not dawdle, we must move along."

Another thing that surprised him about the underground was the public transport. It was not a train as he understood trains to once be, but there was no real way to describe it. A number of open-air carts attached to tracks and managed by an old lady that frowned even more than Kei. It did not roll off the tongue as well as 'train'.

The old lady said nothing as they climbed on, squinting at Kei's appearance.

"Facing your demise today, Kei?" The old lady asked as they settled.

"I shall either return with incredible fortune, or I shall return in a casket. I shall decide on the way." Kei was casual with many things, especially the matter of death. He did not know her exact age, but was certain that she was significantly older than her youthful appearance would suggest. He dared not to ask, not yet, but wondered often on it. Perhaps it was her way of speaking, an accent long since gone, or the way she would recall events as though present.

It was, he decided, not his business to know and she would tell him if it became important. He was hesitant on shaking the boat of their relationship with his insistent curiousity; that night at the soba shop having truly shaken him to his core. He thought he had lost everything and had lost any form of reasoning in an instant. It had not happened to him in such a long time, he had no defences against the crushing horror of it all. He swore it would not happen again, but he needed to recover from it, first.

With the train dragging them towards their destination, Kei was quiet. Kei was often quiet, keeping her thoughts tight around her until the right moment. Or until it upset someone she did not like. When the train was brought to a stop, she climbed out before him, waiting at the bottom of the concrete steps for him.

Yuji often tried to read what Kei was thinking, and was never able to assess it. Her sickeningly steady heart left everything uncertain in his mind on what an appropriate response would be. It was another thing that left him pondering her humanity, how eerily calm she was. She was never angry, never upset, and seldom happy. All things muffled. He wondered if it was something she had done, or something that was imposed upon her. He wanted a reaction out of her, trying to banter her into laughter and never quite succeeding.

Up the stairs they went, reaching a door. The metal door opened into the back of a ramen shop, the overwhelming odour of cooking noodles making him sickly. A fan buzzed angrily in the background, but did nothing to clear the air as they wandered out the kitchen to the front of the shop.

There was little doubt that Kei looked even more suspicious, but there was little care on her part. There were a few people about, but no one he recognised. It was mid-afternoon and painfully hot. He dreaded the idea of burning, but many afternoons he had spent outside unaffected, and the fear had long since settled. He kept glancing in the direction of Kei, wondering again on how she was coping with the heat without a single drop of sweat visible from her disguise.

They did pass by a familiar face. He adjusted his own hat to keep his eyes downcast, pretending he did not see the almost manic man strutting so carefreely down the street. Unpleasant to be around, and his complete disregard for personal space did not help. Always leaning too close, always talking too loud. What he disliked the most about Gojo was the fact that he had the full capability of being intelligent, but he was in a constant battle to maintain awareness due to his blood addiction; he ended up being pathetically low because of it. A shame, many would agree.

"Mm, that one is certainly a bottom."

"W-what?" He jumped. He could not tell if Kei was looking at the man behind the dense glasses, or what expression she was making, but he could guess. One of mischief.

"I am considering grabbing some O- and throwing it down an alleyway and observing him fetch like the dog I know he is."

"Please don't." Disgust slipped into his voice, along with horror. The very notion of Gojo and Kei in any degree of a relationship was vile to him.

"I shant."

It was strange being so near to the soba shop knowing that he was the reason it was shut. Kei said it would open again soon enough, but it still clung tight to him. That sensation. The feeling of dread which violently fought against an excruciating agony in his gut that hollowed him out. He understood it to be hunger, but having Kei so close to injury had pulled a forgotten instinct in him; the one that told him to run.

Where they were waiting was an outside cafe. More for the comfort of humans, it was partly enclosed by half walls, various flowers growing out of wooden baskets. He recognised some of them as herbs. They were probably growing them for their own convenience; it was difficult to get such things if you did not have them yourself.

"You would think you were the vampire here." He commented as Kei sat down.

"I like to live within the uncanny." A smile pulled onto his face as he joined her. "Who are we expecting?"

"Me."

He heard it then. The slightest of stutters in her heartbeat as she was caught off guard. The slightest bristling of the shoulders that immediately relaxed, her heart returning to where it was. He honed in on the figure that had startled her, something he almost thought impossible, eyeing him with brief suspicion, even if he understood it to not be necessary.

"What should I refer to you as?" She asked as he sat down opposite them, the slightest scratch of the metal chair against the cobbles.

"Choso."

"Then you may refer to me as Kei."

"I know."

An altogether awkward situation. Choso was not inclined to talk, and neither was Kei. They both stared at each other for far too long, before Choso directed his attention to him. A brief furrowing of his brows before the expression eased into something touching on concern, assessing his figure for visible injury.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, Kei's really nice, though she looks scary." The last thing Yuji wanted was unnecessary conflict. To tie the two together, a promise of good friendship and good company, to assure all sides that the situation was well. "She's really good at cooking, has been teaching me all sorts of cool things. She even gave me some-,"

"As I said to Sukuna, I have no intentions of causing harm to Yuji, but that I am merely supervising him until he decides to return of his own accord."

A frown tugged onto his lips. He did not want Kei to have the belief that he would leave and that they would never meet again. He hoped that would not be the expectation, wanting to speak in favour of frequent encounters. Choso squinted her way again, but Kei was looking elsewhere, down onto the street. Whatever she was looking for, she gave no signs of having found it.

"I get that Sukuna did something unforgivable. I'm not judging you for that but…" He mused over what to say. "Everyone is worried. We just want to make sure you're okay, visit you from time to time."

"I will not expose my home to anyone. It took me many years to get it in order to have even the slightest risk of damage to it."

They waited for her to continue the sentence. She did not.

"Maybe we could do more things like this?"

"Reasonable." She shifted in her seat, pulling out a notebook from the coat pocket. "If we are going to do that, though, we best get it in order in the appropriate manner."

"What are you, some sort of banker?"

"No, but I have experience with them." He could hear the smile in her voice.

Truthfully, he started to tune out to the conversation. They seemed to be getting along, as much as two actively antisocial people could get along, and he heard a decent agreement to come by at least once a week with a phone call set up for if there were any reasons the visit had to be cancelled. Kei wanted certainty that no harm, maiming, or death would be brought upon her by any visitor or third parties. Yuji almost wanted to call her paranoid, but she had to have learned it from somewhere. Mahito's attack undoubtedly encouraged her to believe her life in danger, and he could not fault her for it.

She got Choso to sign it, signed it herself, and then he had to sign it. Then on a second piece of paper that had the same wording.

"This is your copy." She said, tearing it from the notebook and giving it to Choso. She put hers away, then swiftly stood up. "You know where to return to once you have finished your interaction here."

"Hey, wait-," She did not, disappearing down the street.

He did not think she was upset, but she was strangely rushed.

"Are you actually okay?" Choso asked as she slipped into the shop.

"...Yes. Yeah, I'm good."

"I'm glad." Choso always had bags under his eyes, caring for them all it made sense, but they had grown worse in recent years.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier."

"It's done. I'm just relieved you came at all."

"Yeah." What else was there to say? He needed to assure Choso that Kei was no one to worry over. "Uh… Kei's really great. She's rude and crude, but she's been giving up a lot to help me. I want to keep talking to her, even when I come back. I'd be really upset if something were to happen to her." Choso pressed his lips together. It was not something Choso wanted to hear. He was not exactly disdainful towards those that appeared human, never could be, but he did not like them. And Kei had the means to keep Yuji away if she decided to.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

Food tasted muted to him, as though he was eating while sick. He stubbornly persisted in making meals, and Kei had food that tasted richer so he was able to cling onto the memories of food he liked. He had the food put away in a take-away box, intending to give it to Kei to console her.

"Be safe." Choso said as he left. Yuji repeated the statement.

Kei was waiting for him at the bottom of the concrete steps. She had taken off the hoodie and sunglasses, staring at him with her sharp, calculating eyes. She glanced at the bag in his hand. He had even gotten cake. Sukuna would call it a bribe, he would call it a thank you.

"Is all well?"

"Sukuna will probably call tonight."

"I shall delight in tormenting him."

Notes:

I refuse to give insight into all of Kei's behaviour here, I will be vague and unhelpful like an annoying lil omen. Still, I encourage you to assess, and muse on whether Gojo had the misfortune of hearing Kei call him a good little doggy. Tell him to get on his knees and bark for his meal too.
EDIT: None of y'all recovered from this, huh.

Chapter 6

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Kei was an individual that was rarely shaken. It had been forced upon her to remain composed regardless of circumstance, her heart always steady, her breathing always even. She could turn off that response of fear with little effort and it allowed her that rare but needed opportunity to consider her surroundings and her options.

She still had limits, and found herself at the concrete steps struggling to bury that foreign and terrifying sensation that told her that nothing was making sense.

She knew the man in front of her, understood him as an individual and had many, many years of interactions with him. She knew that he was Choso, and that the moment she removed her disguise he would identify her by her true name just as she would know his true name. Choso was an old name he had picked, the same as his brothers.

And still her mind protested, telling her over and over that something was wrong, and she could not grasp onto it. She knew Choso, and knew he had brothers, but she was certain that he-

Ugly neon lights flickered about her, the sound of her breathing echoing in the space. She felt nauseous, fighting against something she could not understanding. Something was wrong. Something was-

She ceased control of the emotion and buried it, forcing it out of sight, her breathing immediately stopping then settling. She stood upright, taking the hoodie off just as she heard the fire exit open, Yuji standing as a dark silhouette at the entrance.

"Why did you leave so quick?"

"I recognise that individual from past encounters, that is all. I did not wish to expose my identity." It was best, she decided, that he did not know of her violent clashing thoughts trying to make sense of how Sukuna and Yuji fit. If she thought about it too hard, it came with a sharp pain. A fight she could not win.

There was free food to be had. Kei kept it hidden well enough from Junko, the elderly woman that managed the train, who would want it as her fee rather than the usual coin. Yuji watched Kei carefully. He was always watching, adjusting his behaviour so slightly to get a pang of the correct reaction from her; a constant challenge from an individual notorious for feeling very little and expressing less. The abnormal reaction, and all of the thoughts that lingered with it, were fully concealed from him as he lingered close to her side, closer than usual until the train creaked by them and, with a toss of the coin, they climbed aboard.

The phone was ringing the moment that they entered the home. Closing the metal door behind her, Kei took off her shoes at the door mat, walking to the rickety table to drop off the bag of food. She had checked it on the way for anything that could serve as a tracker and found nothing. That did not mean nothing was there. The phone was a constant in the background, a drumming reminder of the presence of others, and that constant thought of something being out of place always ignored.

Yuji hung up his hoodie, clumsily pulling off sneakers as Kei walked back to the phone, leaning on the table to pick it up, settling onto the floor pillow. She did not greet Sukuna this time.

"Rather insulted that you chose to dress like the invisible man today."

"So you were watching." She had suspected it. Choso coming out alone was too suspicious. It left him far too vulnerable to attack. She had expected to be attacked the moment she turned the corner to the conversation. She had half anticipated it, hearing Yuji jump when something fell out of the hoodie pocket. A nail gun that he gawked at, turning it over, noting the glint of silver on the top. He carefully put it on the table, and retreated from it.

"I was. We all were. Mahito was adamant on a few features."

"Oh? Pray tell."

"His exact words were 'eyes like a shark and ugly neon hair'."

"He truly is a poet."

"He certainly is. Well, I wanted to see in person, but what do I find instead? You're a cold person, doing that to me."

"I delight in providing suspense in your life."

"Well the problem with being anonymous to the ones you want to not kill you is that they have no idea who you are, and might kill you by accident." It sounded like he was anticipating such a situation; planning to use it as his excuse.

"I would be an exceptionally challenging figure to terminate by accident."

"Yes, I was thinking that. After all, when I asked what he meant by ugly neon hair, I got an interesting response. Do you know what that was?"

Kei kept her breathing steady. Thumb nail digging into the end table's wood, scratching into lines.

"Sukuna, enough of this."

"I'm just saying- maybe you should consider a proper introduction to keep things in order. After all, it is in the contract to not do harm to you."

"Yes, that is what Choso agreed to. Not yourself. You are tied to nothing." A quiet followed. She could not tell if it was anger on the other side. Or if he was exhausted with her suspicions. The air tasted of static for a single moment, red creeping into her mind. A reminder. A reminder of-

"I am going to send you a contract, if that is something that will make this whole thing easier."

"I will consider it." She hung up.

It did not take long for a contract to descend down the mail shoot. He wrote a fine contract, and it was in her favour. Trying to charm her, or to get a semblance of peace from her, she mused as she read it over and over again, going over every detail. That all harm to her was strictly prohibited (unless by her consent) and consequences of inflicting harm or exposure would result in immediate termination of all associated contracts. It was in her hands alone how she announced herself to members of the public. She already had some ideas on how.

He was not bound by word. That she knew. Otherwise certain individuals would not be dragging down the human population for their own entertainment. There were ways, there were always ways. She knew how to break rules too. It was a mutual threat of destruction.

She signed it and sent it on its way.

"I shall be travelling for a short while." She told a startled Yuji who was immediately up and intending to follow. "Only I shall be going this time."

"Are you sure that's safe?" He was worried, looking panicked.

"I always travel armed." She pulled a nail gun out of the hoodie pocket, Yuji pointing at it accusingly, a touch of fear in his voice.

"I saw that earlier."

"Yes, I brought it to the previous engagement."

"...Please don't shoot my family."

"I have no intentions of starting any fights." That did not mean she would not end them, however, and a small threat of violence was a useful tool to have if things turned sour. It helped that the nails were silver tipped and soaked in salt water. It would not kill, but it would certainly hurt.

Keeping the large glasses on, and wearing a beaten dark baseball cap, she made her way through the underground to a more familiar route. The lights were fresher, the steps more worn. A radio played old music in front of a smaller shop selling traditional sweets, the old man there flicking through the same beaten magazine he flicked through every day. Carpet, which may have once been red, was pressed into the steps, the hum of electric in her ears as she kept tight to the chilled wall. Faded posters advertised theatre shows to her as she reached the red door at the top.

When she stepped into the shop, she saw that the number of talismans on the door had increased. The owner knew it was an entrance into the underground. It was for the vampires to assume it cursed for whatever reason they could see a human claiming such things. The owner was very old, and it many believed the older members of society were traditional in their vampire protection. The owner was not in, dismissing the many flowers there and focusing on the more important objective of travelling to her destination.

Banks were always in more lovely parts of the city. As vampires were there often, and often wanting something lovely to look at, the streets were spotless, the flowers blooming, fountains spilling out fresh, clean water, and the buildings themselves were scrubbed clean.

Mei worked in an extremely luxurious bank. The sort that only the truly wealthy worked in. The bank almost glistened. Looming taller than the surrounding buildings, Kei was glad for her glasses as the walls were a white marble that stung. White with traces of gold. Walking up the marbled red steps, through the glass doors, she could see her own looming presence in the floors. How often did they have to be cleaned, and was the pay worth the constant effort? Looking up she saw beautiful plaster, and a chandelier that would take hours to clean. What was the building before it became a blood bank? She suspected a hotel. It was difficult to remember.

She honed in on the front desk immediately, spotting her pale hair next to another figure.

That figure, Kei observed, was a room mate of Mei's and one that, despite her fawn-like appearance, could bite. Another rare thing; someone that fought back and fought back well. Kei knew that room mate also desired peace and quiet at the best of times. Mei collected people that disliked her mischief the most.

"Oh, you're still alive."

"The universe remains obstinate in granting me peace. Sukuna is expecting me."

"On a first name basis already? I knew you were charming enough for him, did you bat your pretty little eyes?"

Kei pulled out the nail gun. The room mate was staring at her, bewildered but making not a single noise. Her whole body was tensed, ready to tackle if need be. She had fought for her life before, Kei thought.

"Always so dramatic. He's there, but he hasn't mentioned you. Are you going to surprise him?"

"I can only aspire to cause such delightful trauma."

"So extreme. Send him kisses for me, since you clearly have nothing you can sell him."

"I shall nail him good." Mei laughed at that, turning towards the elevators. The contract would have reached his table by the time she stepped through the doors, she concluded. He might even be ringing the phone. The elevator doors closed in front of her. Kei stood alone, a dark presence in the obnoxiously bright and buttery elevator. No music played, only the ding of the top floor where his office would sit. Looking down on the whole city, although the corridor contained no windows. She stepped into muted colours and marched down the corridor.

Kei, as she walked towards the front door, reflected on the confidence of many vampires and how often they forgot their own mortality, and how little it truly took to kill a vampire. She, herself, had killed many with objects that were every day, and she had witnessed others succeed all the same. The wealthy, the successful and elderly, dropped their guards after a point declaring that they had survived on skills alone, and stopped hiring security guards.

Experience would have told Sukuna back ups were always a benefit.

A shame, she thought, that he forgot to look back on his experience.

Notes:

As an archaeologist, it is my obsession to learn as much as I can about the human body, and I truly do think that in the case of these vampires they, by default, are just like humans without an off button. Like when you put a car into the fastest gear and slam on the brakes, you can stop but it's rather painful all around and you would rather not do that. That in mind, I do think these vampires can boost their odds of not tearing muscle from bone with a lot of training, but there are always ways to get through that, especially if you already know where human vulnerabilities are. All I am saying is a sharp object in the arm pit can kill very easily. And as a hypermobile jester myself, it is way too easy to get a socket out of place.
There's a reason Kei knows Krav Maga.

Chapter 7

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"I said no meetings!" A voice boomed out, deep and gravely, malice spilling out from the cracks of the door like smoke. She could hear another voice on the other side, one that she recognised. She knocked again. There was scuffling sounds, aggressive footsteps, the door almost being wretched open as she stepped to the side, several steps back.

Kei could see how he could be intimidating, vaguely noting his height to be similar to Yuji.

"Oh why the fuck is it a-," He cut himself off, sucking in a deep breath, composing himself. A good thing he had no idea what she smelled like, although she had sprayed herself with an unfamiliar perfume beforehand. He would still know she had a heartbeat, however. Kei glanced inside and saw prey in the form of Mahito. He squinted at her, then turned away in disgust. "I don't take walk-in meetings, book an arrangement downstairs."

She considered talking , but after a moment nodded; a stilted movement. She turned down the corridor and returned to the elevator, sending herself back downstairs.

Sukuna was taller than she thought, but not in a supernatural way, and still not taller than her. Out of all the siblings, he had adopted the same pink hair as Yuji. Or, rather, Yuji had the same hair as him. As the doors closed, she could see him actively run his hands through that hair. She had witnessed Yuji follow in the same way when under stress, and found herself musing on their similarities.

The elevator bell dinged as she reached the ground floor, returning to the front desk. Mei watched Kei walking up to the desk.

"Damn, you nail him that fast? Normally it takes at least half an hour."

"Do you have a line to the office up there?"

"Sure do."

"Please call him."

"What, you couldn't talk to him?"

"I desire to be an inconvenience." A snort, realising Kei's intentions.

The room mate, she had no idea what her name was, continued to observe her with some degree of curious bewilderment. It was probably the confidence to actively harass someone in authority. Only a vampire would be so bold. No human would dare. At least, those that lived solely above ground. She glanced down at her name tag: Max.

"Do you… know him?"

"To a degree, I know him, however he does not know me." Mei called upstairs. It was muffled but she could hear the frustration in Sukuna's voice even if she could not hear the words.

"There's someone down here for you." Kei did not know what he was saying, but a smile settled onto her face anyway. She quickly straightened it. "Says her name is Kei." A pause. Mei was grinning, barely holding back laughter. "Of course, I'll send her up right away."

The phone clicked, and Mei immediately burst out laughing.

"Oh, you made my afternoon. I'm going to remember that forever. Go on up."

The elevator journey felt faster, but she counted the seconds the same.

It was a very modern elevator, quite smooth, unlike the ones in the underground. It did not judder in the slightest. Entering the corridor a second time proved as muted as before, aware of how little sound spread in the space; it reminded Kei of her own home. He had kept the door shut as well.

Just as she had the first time, she observed what surroundings she could. Not only were there no security guards, but there were no security cameras. No windows, no reflective surfaces unlike the lobby which was all polished and excessive; intended to show off. In Sukuna's corridor, the plants were artificial.

Knocking on the door, she heard footsteps coming towards the door. Less aggressive, trying to appear more casual. As though he had been expecting her the entire time.
The door opened, and Mahito was there.

Mahito stared at her. She stared at him.

Kei could not see Sukuna behind him, but she could hear typing. At his desk, just out of view.

"Good tidings."

Whatever he wanted to say was held back, his face compressed into an ugly expression before settling on neutrality. He stepped away from the door, hands in the air in surrender.

"Strange to hear you not talking about 'that bitch' Mahito, especially since she's in front of you."

"Yes, Mahito, I am surprised also. I enjoyed your portrait, by the by. I have it pinned to the wall. I intend to frame it." She stepped inside, and could see that she was correct in Sukuna being at his desk looking busy, looking at a computer screen. He had turned to look her way, eager, when his expression dropped.

"...You're not very funny."

"You told me you do not take walk-ins, so I booked an appointment." He repeated that habit of running his hand through his hair, that trait that Yuji also had. It tickled at the back of her mind. The need to document such traits.

"If you had spoken, you would not have to go through the effort."

"Oh, you were busy, it would be rude of me to linger where I was not welcome." He might just kill her, she mused. She doubted many vampires had the audacity to speak in such a way, better yet something that sounded human. Then again, his workers seemed to be well-paid and cared for, and more importantly he had not killed Mei and Mei was significantly worse than her. He stared for a moment, before breaking eye contact.

"Please, sit down." There were two green leather sofas surrounding a coffee table. There was also the seats in front of his desk. Mahito had already claimed one of the sofas as his own, stretched fully across it while watching her. The expression on his face could only be described as a distressed cat, eyes alert to her movement as she chose to sit as close to Mahito as possible, causing him to pull away in repulsion. Sukuna expected it, getting up from the desk and walking to the seating area to sit directly across from her. Hard wood turned to black rug, muffling his footsteps. She knew he could walk quieter. He was purposefully being audible, just as he had been before. She wondered whether it was a habit or an active choice.

"I received the contract."

"I know you did, that is why I am here." A moment ticked by. She could hear a clock somewhere in the room, but could not see it from her angle. She was certain it was closer to the back doorway. What did that room lead to, she wondered. The door had blended into the wall, barely visible except for the thinnest of seams.

Kei took off the mask first, that flat expression that was a near constant on her face remaining there as she pulled off the black mask. It was plain, unlike her usual mask, decorated with stitching in the form of an oni mask. Sunglasses came off next, closing the legs and setting them down on the coffee table.

Mahito had described her eyes as like that of a shark. He would not be the first, she doubted he would be the last. As a child, they had been described as doll-like. Intense in their darkness, and unyielding in their focus. She found Yuji's dark eyes more unsettling because there was no reflection in them, but hers reflected everything she was looking at. It meant that whatever she was looking at was aware of her attention, and some even had the sense to know that was not always a good thing.

The hair was still tied back when she pulled off the hat and took the hood with it, and she knew Sukuna could identify her immediately. She witnessed a pause in his expression, calculating what response to produce; there was no surprise there.

"Well." Hands folded into each other on his lap, leaning forward just the slightest. Like a dog seeing a treat, it was possible to imagine that if he had the ears they would be pricked forwards and his tail would wag with that slow curiousity. "I had been worried about my brother hiding with a human, but I see I had nothing to fear at all."

Mahito's eyes shifted between Kei and Sukuna, honing in on Sukuna when he stood up, walking to something behind them. Kei knew that there was a globe table there, hearing the drawing sound of something being moved. A drinks table.

"I remember the stories. The world was more chaotic then, we had different leaders in the vampire world. Seven, to be exact, and really quite dreadful. I couldn't stand them, myself, and neither could my brothers. I was glad when I heard one had died."

Kei listened to glasses being set on a table, something being removed, liquid being poured.

"Everyone thought it was just a freak accident. He just dropped dead one day, and the lady he went with was nowhere to be found. The name, of course, was fake. There were certainly whispers of being killed, but she had been human so it was dismissed. The seven leaders were always at each other's throats, and a lot of humans were turned, and as many vampires killed thanks to this constant conflict. A lot of people thought he had merely died from the stress of it. Imagine that, a vampire dying of stress."

Footsteps. A hand holding a crystal glass hung over her shoulder. She took it, but had no intentions of drinking. It smelled foul.

"Well, imagine everyone's surprise when a second one died. This one could not be excused as an accident. People started to get nervous. Naturally so, vampires are hard to kill. Everyone wanted to know who killed him. When the third leader was killed in his own bedroom, that's when the other four really started to worry. Who was capable of killing two leaders, possibly three? Well, when they came for the fourth, but it was the sixth that left a true impression of horror. There was only one thing that could be said by the few that saw the killer then…"

He returned to his seat, almost casual. Almost. He did not fully relax.

"That that was no human. The Blue-Haired Oni, who had wiped out seven of the most powerful vampires in Japan, then disappeared without a trace. It is not the first encounter with such an entity either. Some would use the name of Calamity, but surely you are not 1000 years old, or inclined to summon that terror." He drank from the glass, but did not enjoy the taste. Mahito whispered 'oh shit' next to her. "What providence that you should sit in front of me."

"What providence indeed."

"You left quite the vacuum in power when you disappeared. Mr Geto would pay massive amounts of blood to see you in person. I would have to. What a great inspiration you were."

She had not been expecting that. She knew many more wanted her head; had a history of enemies. Someone who could kill a vampire while seemingly remaining human was a threat that could not be dismissed. That was why she disappeared the moment she done, to the upset of those who did know her personally.

"How did you do it?"

" understand why I have no desire to go exposing my face so carefreely now?"

"Fully." He drank again. Kei still had not touched her glass. She gave it to Mahito who looked at her with an expression that was a mix between awe and horror. He likely realised that the deodorant was the least painful option, but still insulted by it. He downed the drink and immediately fell into a coughing fit. "I cannot guarantee that Mr Geto will not find out. He's got rats everywhere, and they are all annoying, more importantly he spends a lot of free time looking for you. You would think he was a rejected lover or something."

"So long as he does not cause me inconvenience, I will not confront him. If he causes me trouble, I will swat him away like any other fly." Geto was a complicated matter for Kei, a situation that had never settled and had no means of being settled. Kei made an active effort to avoid confronting him, but avoided him entirely as a result. She often wondered if that avoidance was the reason he was so determined to locate her at all, wanting answers she did not have. "As a matter of fact, perhaps I will introduce myself to him after all. For the right price."

"I will do my best with what I am given."

"That is all I can ask for."

Kei did not stay long, and put everything back on when leaving the office. There would be more meetings, she understood. She was a personal curiousity now. Blood was power, yes, but so was death.

Mei was waiting for Kei's return. There was a smugness about her, assessing Kei's attire and the distinct lack of injury or blood.

"Did you upset him?"

"He has followed my history quite a bit, and rather enjoys it."

"Did you charge him for an autograph?"

"Perhaps I shall offer him one next time." A click of the tongue. "At least I no longer need this." She removed the nailgun from her pocket and set it on the counter in front of Max, who honed in on the weapon. "You may have this. It appears as though you will require it."

If she had a response, Kei did not hear it as she walked away.

With Sukuna having confirmed her identity, Kei made a list of figures to visit as she slipped slowly into the world. There were many that were inevitable, but others that she would prefer to witness in person. She turned to smaller streets, determined to find an old friend.

How much would Mr Geto pay to see the Blue-Haired Oni? She already knew the answer.

Notes:

We do like us a good nickname with a horrifying reputation behind it. Me, saying I will be vague with their description. Me, giving them very distinctly coloured hair. (Nothing is permanent, nothing is ever permanent, homie could be wearing one of those masks with the wig on it, their natural hair, or dying their hair; tis a mystery. All I know is oni equals blue or red.)

Chapter 8

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Being done in the bank, she stood in that grand courtyard, head lifted slightly to the sky. It was a clear day, and sunlight came down in tendrils against the mostly empty space. It truly was beautiful. She wished there was more care involved in the city. It still bore the brunt of years, decades, of conflict. She could see the scars if she looked just beyond the surface. She walked down the steps, leaving the courtyard behind and focusing her attention on another destination.

It was still a decent part of the city, but had tight and narrow streets from when it had been a shanty town. Scrap metal homes were storage now, and being cleared up by the day. Old lights of bright red and pink told her where brothels and opium dens used to be. Cheap paper adverts for the prettiest girls were worn down to almost nothing, and more adverts were stacked on top. Better, shinier, posters were the freshest displays of girls for the location she was going to.

The Leaking Brain had been a constant in this part of the city. Before it was a brothel it was a den, and before that it had been a club. Now it was a gentleman's club once again, had scrubbed its walls clean, had a new sign, and rubbish had been swept away. It looked completely different from twelve years ago, but it could not hide its past entirely. Deep scars on the furthest corner of the granite wall brought memories back, and she could still see the picture of a young singer with bright blue eyes and dark hair.

Riko.

It was strange that her picture was so well preserved. Where others were brought down to nothing at all, white strips that only gave an indication of what was once there.

"You deserved better than what you were given." Far too young, too hopeful, and with wasted potential. She directed her attention to the back door, slipping through the damp alleyway still with that lingering odour of opium. It stung the back of her throat and left an aftertaste that was acidic.

The door was still red. There were no talismans on it, not like there used to be, but many numbers written in sharpie with names attached. Many of the call girls. Many guests as well, she imagined. Some names she even recognised. Gojo's was a popular number.

She considered knocking, but the code was the same to get in. Consistency was the nature of the manager. Inside the worker's office, it was quiet. The lights flickered on with your movement, almost green in the glow. The dancers would not be here, then. They needed warmer lights to touch up make-up. The lockers were the same as from twelve years ago, more beaten and rusted, but the same. Walking along tile, she took off the mask, glasses, and hood. She were aware of the sound of a radio playing, and movement.

Pausing at the door to the main space, she listened closer still.

There were three different sets of footsteps. She knew them, too. A voice she remembered. She opened the door.

Someone had been busy.

The first thing that hit her was the smell. That sharp twang of freshly spilled blood that saturated the air, and saturated the carpet which was being torn up. Far too much blood to be one person.

"In the process of making new friends, Nanami?" He had not heard her come in. Staring for the longest time, she could see him trying to connect the figure to the voice. She had not spoken to him in years, better yet shown up in person. He was too involved in a world she had no desire to engage with, and had separated on bad terms.

"I thought you were dead."

"That appears to be a popular assumption." Walking across the now bare concrete towards him, she observed the two others. They had been workers from decades ago. They had been there when she was there too. "What happened?"

"A troublesome client with an ego too big decided to cause a scene."

"Any individuals I would be aware of?" She noticed he was writing in a notebook. Likely calculating the damage costs. "Thirteen girls? That is a terribly unlucky."

"He's an unlucky vampire. He also killed the manager."

"An arrogant one also." There were a few names that came to mind, but if Nanami would not tell her then she would not ask. "Is this common behaviour from this vampire?"

"More these days. He is growing worse by the day."

"That sounds like the onset of something unpleasant."

"I would not be surprised." He finished writing, then looked her way. There was no active hostility on his face, but she doubted he would be happy to see her. The last time they were together, it was with the taste of blood in the air. "Why are you here?"

"For the time being, I am working with Sukuna. I have no interest in getting involved in wars, conflicts, or other such nonsense, but do expect to see me present again. I felt you were at least obligated to know that."

For the time she had worked with Nanami, he was owed the knowledge that she was alive before anyone else. More importantly, if he knew then he would cover up any reaction to her arrival. If he would not be an ally, which she did not believe he would be, then she would make sure he was not a target.

"Thank you for the heads up." It was a formal statement. Nanami was too much like her; difficult to read. It had been a long time since she saw him, she had no idea if he had any care towards her at all. It would not surprise her in the slightest if he deemed her an inconvenience. Or a fly. For how it all ended, she was just glad she were not an enemy. "Why Sukuna?"

"He located me first." A lie, but it was what she would tell him. "Will you confront your troublesome client?"

"Not for a while. He has too much influence for me to do much."

"The Leaking Brain would always be welcome further underground." There were plenty of humans in the underground that would cheer for any new source of entertainment. Kei knew that there had been an underground before, and had been surprised it had not been there earlier.

"Not yet."

She never fully understood what Nanami was thinking. She had only worked with him in the past because they had similar goals. She doubted that would happen again.

"Her picture is still pristine. You tended to it."

"I did."

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She could see nothing to remember Haibara by. That grief was hidden even better than Riko.

"Things are going to change, soon. Some are falling into the same pitfalls as the seven did, and someone will snap." He said.

"You have a name?"

"I have three." The other two were a mystery to her. "I would tell you to be safe, but it would be better to say 'don't kill anyone'."

"I have not for some time."

"Then you are due." Yes, that was one thing Nanami knew about her.

With a nod, she walked through the front entrance. The two men were loading carpet onto a truck, making an effort to not look her way. As though looking at her alone would summon the oni that hungered for the blood of vampires, and would not rest until she had it. Legend was often more frightful than the truth.

She had not visited Nanami just to confirm her return to the world. She wanted to assess whether he was someone that she could work with, and found the results inconclusive. If there was someone he wanted to fight to protect, then it would be easier, but she had found nothing through Mei. He had kept to himself, and intended to stay that way. She hardly fault him for it. However, it meant that he would not be an ally if things turned sour.

The bloodbath at The Leaking Brain was not a sign of war as it used to be, but she acknowledged its concerning presence. Any violence that took place there served as a source of escalation. It was worrisome that it would happen again. She wondered, for the longest time, whether the place was cursed. If it had been built on top of a mass grave. She had travelled the country many a time, and could mark out several battlefields and pits of dead people. She lingered near them often, like a corpse eating demon.

"Some people have no respect for the dead." Leaning against the wall, she watched the men as they passed her by, keeping as much distance as they could.

She had an idea on who would cause such chaos. Or, at least, what group of people would. Nanami had said they were getting worse, and she agreed. Riding the high of power, rather than the logic of history repeating, she wondered if they would have been so gleeful if they saw that picture framed and surrounded by flowers and incense. If red ribbons represented the blood, and incense the lilac perfume.

Maybe they would have done it anyway. Maybe to spite the past. It hardly mattered. It was not enough to bring her into the fight.

Not yet.

Nanami was thinking the same way as herself. Wait, do nothing, and move only when the time came.

"It would be a pain to do this all again."

Word would spread soon, and tensions would rise. She decided to tell Nanami that she was with Sukuna when the two vampires were there. It was a way of knowing exactly where information would be spilled, if at all, and to manage when more dangerous players would know she was present. And what they learned.

They would know she was with Sukuna, and that she was not interested in conflict. She might witness a tug-of-war to get her on one side or the other, might witness attempts to kill her. To convert her into a vampire. After all, if she was the way she was as a perceived human, then a vampire would be a true weapon, and to control that weapon? There were many greedy vampires that would love that sort of power. Whether they were able to lower themselves to obtain it was a different matter.

How much would be paid to see her face? She was curious on that. Sukuna had spoken with revelry. It was clear he had wanted to show off, and she decided to indulge it. To maintain the terms of the contract, she decided who knew she lived. He could taunt and tease as he wanted, and she knew she would have access to his power. It would keep her safe from most trouble where her reputation would not protect. Insurance, in the most obscure of ways.

She took to wandering the streets, then. She did not care much to conceal the face then. She had only hidden it because she did not want Yuji's family to know it, but now they did. They would know who she was to them soon. It was her hair that needed to stay hidden from the outside world; that was connected to legend.

She was delaying any encounter with the family. She knew their names, and they would know hers. Once they realised who she was, which they would because Sukuna would tell them, they would be angry. She anticipated the response of the eldest the most. Too long since she had interacted with him, she mused, he would have been worried and she would have done nothing to console those worries.

She never dealt with his anger well. It simmered under the surface, until it boiled over. It had been that way since the day she first met him. From childhood until now, his anger was a rare thing, but deadly because of it.

Too late to retreat, she would face it head on when it did come. It was bound to be by five. After all, he never dealt with his conflicts in the afternoon. He would probably be upset that she talked to Nanami first, too.

"Though I will say, Choso does deserve it."

Notes:

MC: I don't want conflict, and I don't want to be known.
Sukuna: Geto is definitely going to find out.
MC: I will make sure he knows exactly where I am, but that he can do nothing about it. Also going to judge his carnage.
(Happens just after the latest ch of Nothing tastes sweeter, afternoon after the club goes yeet. So word is gonna spread like fire.)
Edited other chapters to be a touch more consistent, now that I have the plot actually semi written down.

Chapter 9

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Yuji could keep himself entertained for a short while, but she had been away for some time, however she knew him to be an extrovert. Too long by himself and he would start wandering, and that was how she found him halfway on her path home looking through old CDs in one of the corner shops. It was a relief that he had not stayed at their home pacing himself into madness, but she did not expect him to do that. He had access to a good amount of the eastern block of the underground. He probably had more freedom to wander here than he had above ground as a human.

"Hey, Kei. You done?"

"Yes. Did you locate anything of interest?" He held out five different CD cases. The band she suggested was among them. "Excellent choices."

There was a strange relief in knowing that she would not have to lock herself down for long. Twelve years was long, yes, and she had grown used to it, but that quiet part of herself that she had buried with her escape started to wake and was now a persistent drumming at the back of her mind. Something hungry, something demanding. Wanted to wander, wanted to be known.

She knew it to be that muffled anger that had led her to your war so long ago, and so often. It had remained muffled, chained and contained over the years as humanity suffered more and more. Underground, she could ignore it, and almost convince herself that it was not as bad as she knew it really was. No vampire dared touch the underground, if only because that was where most humans were. If they took the underground and took the humans, they would start to starve. They could not survive off agriculture alone, they needed blood, and it needed to be human. That was the only reason that no one purged the underground. Why, even the ones that knew the ways in and could go in, never did. Once they entered that space, they were no longer the ones in charge. To be destroyed with extreme prejudice. It was a good thing that Yuji was a fresh vampire, and lacked many of the visible traits. She would be sure to keep his identity a secret as much as possible.

Just as Sukuna did, hiding his own last name, and the family that came with him.

That tugging sensation at the back of her mind tugged once again. Telling her to pay attention to that family, that something was off. It pulled away as Yuji followed alongside her, pushing her focus on the immediate.

It had been as she was starting to clean that she heard the phone ring. Glancing at Yuji, she could see that he had started the first CD and was not looking her way at all. She suspected five in the evening, and it was five in the evening.

She expected the phone call, but that did not make it any more pleasant.

"Why did you hide?"

"You will have to be more specific than that."

"You know what I mean."

"There have been multiple times where I have hidden from you. Which time are you referring to?" He was owed his anger. She could not deny that. It did not mean she had to like it.

"Fine. This time?" All things considered, the phone was the better option. He would not see the foot tapping, the shifting on the floor pillow. Maybe he would hear it. She pressed into stillness. She was relaxed in old habits because she was on the phone, but it would be no good to continue them; she needed to be constant in her discipline or it would slip through in person as well. It made her skin itch. That tugging sensation. It was not something she could easily describe. A sensation best described as invisible observation. She glanced at Yuji again. He was not looking her way.

"The last I saw of you, you were engaged with the Geto clan cult. I thought it best to keep quiet."

"That's-," When she saw it on the TV, she had honestly been surprised as he never showed prejudice against humans in the time she knew him. It had disappointed her, and she never tried to figure out why. She should have. "I don't believe in any of the shit he's spouting."

"I believe you. I thought it best to stay quiet anyhow."

"...He doesn't know my name. Just Choso." She nodded, though he could not see her. She leaned forward, making sure Yuji was not listening. He was not, playing the CD's on a cheap walkman. He was drumming to the best, mouthing lyrics. He would probably replay the song multiple times, get them stuck in his head, and then get them stuck in hers.

"I will refer to you as Choso, if you will keep referring to me as Kei."

"That's fine." A pause. "Someone saw you earlier, word's already reached him."

"I expected as much, I made myself known to someone in The Leaking Brain as well. Was this individual Mahito?"

"No, Mahito looks like a chatterbox but when he needs to he can keep quiet."

"That is somewhat shocking to me." One of the workers then. She wondered if they were rewarded by Geto for their work, or if he dismissed them immediately. Pay them to investigate some more? He had the means to do it. Would it be needed, though? Choso waited silently on the other side of the phone for her to speak. There was a lot she wanted to talk to him about. There was a lot she could not say. "...In regards to the first time, the truth is I did not wish for you to get involved. It was a difficult time already, and you must tend to your family."

"Were you worried I would stop you?" She did not answer immediately.

"I was worried you would try." She was worried he would fail, and he would look at her with that same horror Nanami did. Another person who she destroyed with her very presence. Even from a distance, it would violent. He would have heard it on the news, knew that she was more monster than anything else. He would have considered his options, and deemed her too risky for his family, and she would not have been able to judge him for it. He could have fought well, but it was not his business to do so, and nothing would be gained from it. His family came before anything else, and she would have been endangering his family. Beyond that, she had already been distant by the time everything had happened, trying to reach out by the time the funeral happened, and finding a stranger there. He was always reaching out, and she was always walking away. Even if it was for his own good, it would have hurt. She had a talent for that. "Um. I never apologised."

"For what?"

"For getting perfume sprayed in your eyes."

"You did apologise."

"I understand, I feel I need to say it again. I apologise." When she struggled to apologise for anything, when words failed to reach, she always reached for that original first attack. He understood it was the only thing she could openly apologise for, but that it was sincere every time.

"That wasn't you."

"Still."

"Make it up to me."

"How?" Yuji opened the walkman, took out a CD, and put in the next one with a twirl.

"Just talk to me. Like we're friends, still." She was not sure how to do that. It had been a long time since she had a friend. Even the friends she made then were not friends, and the ones that tried the hardest suffered the most. She had not tried since.

"I am terribly out of practice."

"So am I." Geto already knew of her existence, and would know she was with Sukuna. It was not like Choso could spill any secrets he did not already know. Even if he gave away her name, it was not something she had control over, but he would not do it because then she would give his. Even if he did give her name, the truth of the matter was that Geto already knew her true name. The threat was entirely absent. She considered for a long time.

"May I ask why you are associated with the Geto clan?"

She thought he may not answer.

"Keeping my brothers safe."

"...I believe you." It was Choso's nature to care for his family. It was something he did without a single thought, a single second of hesitation. He had taken on that burden of raising them all, and carried that responsibility everywhere he went. He would have pondered the options many times over before settling with being one of Geto's workers. Geto did, after all, have a massive amount of influence and power. He was not picky with the vampire company he kept either. At least in his ranks there was assurance of not being his enemy so long as his workers did a good job. Get blood or get money, whatever it was he assigned them to. Choso was not bitten by him either, so he was not so easy to control. However, his siblings needed certain care, and that required access to things one could not get on the streets. While Sukuna was looking, she expected, some things only Geto had control over. Sukuna was at risk of losing quite a bit if he was revealed to be looking for such things. He could not reveal his family in any form; Yuji being found out was proof enough. How had Geto found out about Yuji? Maybe it was simply an error of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Is he aware of the presence of Yuji, or of his change to vampirism?"

"Yes. Sukuna told him immediately." Was it Geto that made it necessary for Yuji to be turned? Out of all the options, it seemed the most likely. The dislike for humanity was simply too strong, and there would be a lot of misery in Yuji's short life if his blood was leaked. Geto made it a habit to obtain the rare luxuries of such blood too. She had to keep an eye on any potential spills of her own. It would be too much work to fight him. "He doesn't know Yuji is his brother, and he doesn't know I am his brother either. Sukuna is an only child, as far as records say."

Did Geto believe it? With their similar appearances, it would have brought questions. Sukuna could have convinced a suspicion of being siblings, but no closeness. That would be the wise decision to make. That this human boy was plucked from the streets and taken in like a stray dog. It was what she had believed for the longest time. It was not abnormal. Geto would have looked down on it, but it would not be a cause of conflict. It still brought about the question of what happened that led to Yuji being transformed. She would have to ask Sukuna at some point soon. She had a strong feeling it was linked to Geto, but what would cause that sudden shift? Did Yuji get injured at some point, and did Geto sniff something out? Or did he merely find it suspicious how long Yuji was around whilst remaining healthy and human? Too many options.

Why did she not remember Sukuna as a brother?

Always too many options. It was easier when she had a target to kill. Killing was far easier than analysing. Less energy wasted. That brave new world she needed to step into looked more and more daunting.

"Wonderful." For now, Yuji had time to stay out of the limelight. If done right, he would not be noticed at all. It was strange how much she wanted him out of trouble. He had grown on her. "He will start making moves soon. He has been getting vicious, recently. Shaken, I would dare to say. However we approach it, it will be shady if I am known to be about and Yuji returns in that timescale. It will have to be timed well to not draw his attention."

"We'll deal with that when it comes."

"Very well." She had been expected to talk to him like a friend, but in the end slipped into professional conversation with little effort. It had been her life for that long. "I will… try to be friendly."

"Don't strain yourself."

"I would never engage in so much effort." The huff almost sounded like laughter. "I will be present at the next meeting."

"Will you dress like a homeless person again?"

"Perhaps I shall. Perhaps I shall bring a cup and rattle it for spare change also."

"I'll leave a couple of coins just for you."

"Oh you spoil me."

When she hung up, she saw Yuji staring. Smiling too. The headphones were off.

"You sounded happy."

"Do not be absurd."

Notes:

Woop, reveals. I finally wrote down ALL of Kei's backstory (prequel hints?) and yeah the title of oni was earned in extreme bloodshed. She didn't just take down the seven leaders, but many others. Part of me is beating at my skull going 'mary sue mary sue' to which I say, you would not care if it was in a fictional book, the details of the prequel are more important, this is her at her prime, and to kill the cop in your mind that tells you how you should write. We live in a society, indulge your writing.
(Also changed up some small details in earlier chapters. Nothing major, more things hinting to the title of Blue-Haired Oni and what happened to some of the leaders.)

Chapter 10

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

She was almost tempted to dress nice for seeing Choso. It was a strange thing that compelled her, to tell her to suggest she was making an effort. It was a sensation quickly suppressed by the fact that she did not have nice clothes to wear, or at least none that were appropriate for the setting, or would allow her to fit in. What little luxurious attire she did have was attached to titles she had no interest in strutting down the street.

Plain clothes it was, and layers as well. It was not painfully cold, but she had a stronger tolerance for the cold than most people, and could tell as herself and Yuji wandered through the underground and saw an increased set up of space heaters, blankets, coats, gloves, anything to increase that warmth. Yuji was unaffected, but he was a vampire so it was to be expected. Kei made sure he dressed for the weather, nonetheless, if anything so he would not look out of place.

The same location had been picked, and once again they were outside. She knew it was solely for her benefit, but thought it silly. Whether inside or outside, now, the greatest reasons for her desire to flee had been quelled. It was a nice thought, at least, and she did appreciate it when she spotted Choso there.

Choso did not have a distinct appearance that made him stand out in a crowd. Like her, with minimal effort, it was easy to blend in and easy to dismiss him at a glance. It was only if one were looking for him that he would be found, and she was looking. Short hair did not suit him at all, he looked like an exhausted detective at the best of times and she imagined an old-time movie accent coming out of his mouth, speaking on some femme fatale and Mafioso who escaped his capture with his bribes. It touched a little too close to reality.

She still made an effort to hide her hair. Although word had spread that a blue-haired figure had been roaming, asking questions, she did not want people to link that figure to Choso. His was already a delicate situation, and just because the likes of Geto preferred the company of vampires, did not mean he was not willing to exploit them from time to time. There were all sorts of experiments that she had heard of, and beyond his minions in constant pursuit of money or blood, there was talk of other things. She had even heard that blood was taken from such workers; there was a lot of power in blood. One could control people with blood. One could make them too. It was a precious commodity to be heavily guarded. She made sure she knew exactly what happened to hers. She was certain some clients were very upset that their O- was taken off the market by her feeding it to Yuji. It delighted her, but she would get contacted in due time. Any O- deaths were heavily documented, the blood was that rare and sought after. She might tell them she simply lost interest. That would make many people unhappy.

Yuji also kept his hair hidden well enough. She wondered if he would consider dying it. If it were black, like Choso's, he would blend in very well. He would also look more like Choso, however. At least he would not look like Sukuna. Truthfully, Choso was the one most at risk if any identities were exposed. He had joined Geto's cult under the belief that he only had two brothers and that he was working for their care alone. He avoided any potential connections to Sukuna and Yuji equally, and to her. He did not need to put in much work in hiding a relationship to her. It was known that she did as she pleased, and it could be easily mistaken that she was merely interrogating Choso, but that would still put the spotlight on Choso and that was the last thing he needed from Geto; he would also look into the other company that she kept. No, it was best to keep as concealed as possible.

"Is all well on your part?" She asked. She was not sure how to start a conversation, climbing into the green metal seat, sharp dragging sounds against cobblestone. Not quite cold enough to go indoors, but she could see many shops and restaurants were starting to put up gazebos. The illusion of outdoor eating, although it was not very pretty. She was not in the wealthiest part of the city, so it hardly mattered. Outdoor eating was not for those of luxury, unless it was under specific circumstances.

"Messy, but nothing I can't handle."

"I am relieved to hear that." She did order food this time. Everyone ate.

"What about you?"

"Unpleasant. I was required to visit someone I knew once and someone ruined the carpet. He was angry, but not angry enough to resort to violence."

"Maybe he should be."

"If he wishes for me to deal with the issue, he will have to give me something in turn." She watched Yuji as he dipped French fries into the strawberry milkshake and eat them. "Why that place, again, is a mystery to me."

"I always heard it was built on an old shrine. Some god out there is angry."

"Yes, yes, we are always at the beck and call of gods, whatever they may be." Always down to religion, to her great annoyance. Some things never changed. "The arrogance would be impressive if it did not cause me inconvenience."

"Most things cause you inconvenience."

"I am a simple person. I have the preferences of an elder."

"You're not that old." She could not help but smirk at that, Choso's own sly smile a joke.

"How old are you?" Yuji asked. "I mean- you look late twenties but you speak with this really old man accent. Like a grandpa."

"I shall have you know, young one, that I am a mere six months old."

"Yes, she was lab grown and rapidly aged, blood stolen from the real Kei with Kei's memories."

"...I don't know if you're lying or not."

"He is deceiving you, I am the same age as him." Yuji squinted his eyes at that, clearly doing maths in his head.

"There's no way."

"You are wise for I am younger." A sigh. He knew he would not get a clear answer out of her. Just like him trying to guess her real name, or any history she did not want him sticking his nose into. He had gotten the name right at one point, but she was too good at lying for him to know it."Or older."

"But we both know I'm smarter."

"True, but I am much wiser."

"You absolutely are not."

"Those sound like the words of a fool."

She broke into laughter. It had been a long time since she laughed, so long she forgot she could laugh at all. It startled her. She covered her mouth almost immediately, fearing it too loud a sound. There was hardly anyone around, and laughter was not out of place. It did not stop her from feeling on edge, burying that delight under flat neutrality once more, stabbing at her pasta.

Yuji took over conversation soon after. He flowed into it naturally, easily continuing Choso's rare talkative moods, and from simple observation she could learn a great deal. She had been curious on Yuji's relation to the remaining family for some time, but never felt it right to speak up. He was human until recently, which she already knew, but it still left her confused. She knew Choso's father was dead, had died the very day he was transformed, leaving Choso to care for his... three brothers. She had thought, for certain, that Choso only had tw- three brothers as she could only remember the Kechizu being the youngest and being a baby at the beginning of it all. She knew he had been turned when he was a mature adult, same as Eso, even if it was risky because being human was more dangerous.

So Yuji could not be related fully. She had not heard of their mother, same as they knew nothing about her father, but was it possible that she had Yuji in recent years and they simply picked him up? It seemed like something Choso would do. If he knew, he would not even hesitate. Family was everything to him. And yet it did not feel right. She was certain that- Something was wrong.

It meant that Yuji was not fully human, even before he was turned.

Which meant he was not turned at all.

She stopped stabbing your pasta, setting the fork down.

He would not be the first such individual, nor would he be the last. Relationships between vampires and humans were precarious, and offspring were difficult to produce; an anomaly of the highest degree.

It was not impossible.

She knew it was not impossible.

Was Yuji related by blood?

It was a thought that followed her even when the conversation ended. She ate in silence, and stood up after Yuji.

"Go walk ahead of me, I have something I need to ask Choso before I join you." He frowned, that knowing stare observing her. "Off with you, I am simply going to get on my knees and propose."

"The wedding cake should be orange." She waved with a dismissive hand and away he went, intending to go to the CD store front near the concrete steps, she imagined.

"You've got that look on your face."

"I always have a look on my face."

"True."

"I remember you having tw- three brothers." A frown on his face, before it settled into understanding.

"I do."

"Who exactly is Yuji?"

"My brother."

"By blood?" At the beginning, they had been the same school-bus yellow as any other fresh vampire, but well fed they were darker than black. Void of light with no reflection upon their surface. Same as Yuji.

"We share the same mother." She clicked her tongue. The sentence felt off.

"That means he has not been turned into a vampire."

"No. But people need to believe that he has been."

"He does not have a heartbeat." Yuji could come and go as he pleased, he just did not realise it yet. He had an advantage on humans, but also on vampires because he was an anomaly. So rare, what would happen if his heart started beating again and someone like Geto was around? He would know. Surely he would know, he had been around for that long. "People are going to know."

"...My boss is currently too focused on new bloods to pay attention."

"He is going to know."

"I know." The situation was getting messier by the second. Geto was a hazard to everyone, and everyone had heard of his experiments on new bloods. If he caught wind of someone like Yuji who was human, then turned into a vampire, and then had a beating heart… Had no one thought it through?

"Does anyone have any plan?"

"...Working on it."

"And you called yourself the wiser and smarter one." She let out an aggressive huff. She needed to lie down and think. Think of what to do if Yuji's heart started beating again. Was there a way to muffle it? She had never found such an option for herself, otherwise she would have exploited it at every opportunity, at every round of revival.

A darker question came to mind.

Did he need a heart?

Things like him, did they need their heart to beat?

She knew who to ask, but dreaded the idea of seeing her again.

"I will see what I can do." Hopefully, she would not be killed in the process.

Notes:

Me, seeing the latest chapter of Nothing tastes sweeter: ...It's big brain time.
I am connecting dots the likes of which would baffle. I am making hints the likes of which would terrify. Everyone is edible now! -If someone doesn't cry when things happen I ain't trying enough and will try again, I have become Gege-

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

She did not reside too far from The Leaking Brain, above ground in a complex of concrete buildings with peeling coloured paint. Once, when there was more care on such things, the owners of the complex had tried to make it more lively with a rainbow of paint. These days, it was eerie in its contrast and the massive fragments of missing fresco and graffiti never properly cleaned up added a grimy nature to it all. Some of the graffiti could be centuries old, slurs against vampires layered on top of human propaganda, then insults again. Posters advertising a new Chinese restaurant. She looked at the address; it had taken over a Thai restaurant, if she remembered correctly. It had always been changing hands; like most things in the city. Things always changing, yet staying almost exactly the same.

The inside was cleaner than the outside, but it was not noteworthy. The floor was not dusty, but it was not spotless. Blue tiles, concrete walls painted with a specific type of green tone that was nostalgic in a way that made her skin itch. It was always cold inside, lacking proper heating and run by radiators that juddered every time the boilers activated on the hour. The windows did not have curtains, adding to the chill, and there was little soft furniture to be had. Few people worked in the building, it was almost entirely residential and uncomfortable to live in.

"When you go Rwanda, Congo, take me on a genocide tour, take me on a truck to Darfur, take me where you would go, got static on ya satellite phone, gotta get you safe at home, gotta get you somewhere warm…" Half singing, half drawling, she did not know what to expect, or if Shoko would be there at all. Kei would not call her and give her time to prepare for her. She knew that if she had time to prepare then she could be losing a great deal more than she wanted.

"I forgot you could sing." Shoko was always quiet. Not as quiet as many vampires, but quiet nonetheless. "Surprised to see you here so late. I thought you weren't going to give any blood this month."

The only one she trusted to take her blood and sell it on the market. Not because she was a good or trustworthy ally, but because her curiousity kept her firmly in place. Shoko would never sacrifice research to others when she could look at the experiment itself.

The office was a second home to her, despite its dreadful cold. It had been a private hospital room once, and although the walls had been coated in new paint, she could still see the indents and bolts that marked where machines once were. A beaten rug of unknown colour sat under an antique oak desk, a mismatch of drawer cabinets lining the back wall, partly blocking out daylight. A welsh cabinet had been pushed to cover another window and was filled with specimens labelled with worn writing. Centuries old, she knew that much, and difficult to obtain. Some of the pieces came from humans, others from vampires.

"I will not provide you with blood today"

"You're breaking Mr Geto's heart."

"He can stand to survive without it."

"Yes, but he is annoying."

"You find most vampires annoying."

"So do you." Shoko was a worn figure, bags under the eyes having never truly faded. She knew the cause of those eyebags, and felt a pity for her before she walked to the newest part of the office. The metal slab in the centre. It had a drain for blood to spill into, and always smelled of strong detergents. She opened one of the metal drawers, a sharp dragging noise that ached against Kei's ears, and started flipping through brown folders. Some of her records were in there, along with many other clients. Shoko took out one folder, returning to her desk and opening it. "What are you here for?"

"Have you ever taken a heart from a… svetocher?"

"Two." One of them she was aware of. She did not know there was a second. "Why?"

"I know that if you took the heart out then put it back in, there would be no major impact, but has there been an incident where the heart was taken out and the patient awoke without a heart?" Her fingers flinched, only a small amount, but Kei saw it anyway.

"You speaking from experience?"

"I am speaking from a need to find out." A sign escaped her lips, leaning back in her seat which creaked beneath her. She stared at the ceiling light, until Kei was certain she would not see.

"Let's go for a walk, I need a cigarette." Shoko left before she could answer. Not that she would have cared for her answer, catching up to her quickly as she marched along corridors to the lobby outside.

Unlike the bank, there was little optimism in this outdoor landscape. Following along her walk, frost bit along the edges of abandoned park, green metal fencing and too-thin trees. No children played here. Where there was the slightest opportunity to gain an extra yen, those kids were working. Even dandelions struggled to grow between the pacing slabs.

Her white coat billowed behind her as she lit her cigarette, through the avenue of trees.

"The office is being watched." Shoko started.

"When did this begin?"

"Three days ago."

"Geto?"

"I don't know."

"If it was him, he would know you immediately."

"And you. So, I don't know." Geto was not the only source of worry. There were many conflicting agents about. "The answer to your question is yes. It leaves the patient more inclined towards vampiric behaviour, though."

"In what sense?"

"They need more blood or, at least, more to the standard of the average vampire. The sun starts to have an impact. They might stop ageing altogether."

"I suppose it is too early to confirm that last statement."

"Yeah, I only did it last year."

"Fucking hell."

"That's what he said." It was an odd thought, thinking that there was another out there. Three living at the same time. Most thought them a myth, impossible, something that simply did not happen. There had been more in earlier years, or claims of them, that dwindled down to nothing.

They were being followed by figures she did not recognise. It was obvious that they were meant to watch, and were not concealing their actions. It meant that they wanted them to know that they were there.

What startled Kei, and made her trip on the path, was that after a second glance she recognised one of them.

Or almost recognised one of them.

"That looks like-,"

"I know." A twin? A clone? Why did this figure look like him? "He isn't human, but if he's a vampire he isn't naturally produced."

A frown stretched onto her face, eyebrows furrowing. That was never a good sign. Who was producing artificial vampires and why? Were they fully artificial or was it once human and then altered? How was it produced? Clearly, using something from Choso, but what?

"Blood, I imagine."

"...I think I am going to have to cancel my blood prescription for a while." Until she knew what was going on. It was too odd, too discomforting. Did Choso know? Were his brothers impacted too? He would not have given his blood willingly unless it was for them. A blood bank or… Geto was inclined towards experiments.

"He's going to make a connection."

"Then take one pint, and declare silence from that point onwards.."

"Fair enough. Back to the office?"

It unsettled her more than she were willing to admit, and she did not leave through the front lobby for a while, sitting on that metal slab as her blood was sealed away. Whoever got it first, she hoped he would miss out on the opportunity and someone he loathed would get the blood instead. She did not decide that, though.

They had seen her come in, that was certain, so they knew which direction she came from and could follow the route to some degree. She could lose the scent in a crowd and enter the underground a different way, but there was no guarantee. There was never any guarantee and that frustrated her.

It would be easier to resort to extreme violence, but she was not that person.

Not right now, that was.

She settled on the way she came earlier, knowing she was being observed and them knowing she was watching. She wanted to stop and demand their name, shake them until they told her everything about how they got there, but that would resolve nothing and there was always the matter of lying.

She needed to confirm with Choso if he knew about someone wearing his face. To do that, she needed to reach him.

Even apart, she made an effort to know where Choso lived. Admittedly, it was more difficult because he used to have a different name, but she could scan a crowd for a face and follow it well enough. He lived apart from Sukuna and Yuji, likely in the name of protection, in an old family apartment on a street she remembered well.

Once, she had lived on that street with her mother. It was not her first home, but it was one that she preferred because it had a back garden with a pond where she used to watch newts, and there was a beautiful ginkgo tree that, as she walked down the road, she could see was still there. It was still residential, and for those that could afford it, it was comfortable living. More importantly, one could shut the front gate and no vampire could wander in without permission. Even invited. She could see the old talismans carved into the insides of wooden doors. They had been there when she was younger too.

Despite being older buildings, they were not run down like where Shoko lived. They had been fitted with current technology and the means to make life as comfortable as Geto was easy, but he kept whatever bizarre promise Choso demanded of him to secure the safety of his brothers. Whether that would be upheld for long was a different matter. The other Choso left her with a worried need to check.

The doorbell sound was nostalgic. It had always been the same, one of the few consistencies that could be afforded. That same ding-dong that followed her through adulthood. It had been twelve years since she last heard it, and with it came the memories.

No one answered.

"Eso, answer the door. I am at the door." She rung again. She rung again.

Finally, the door was opened.

He was standing at the edge of the doorway, shielded from winter sun.

"I was asleep, sorry."

"Sorry to intrude." Eso was the tallest brother. As a child, he loomed over Choso. She could not tell if he hung over Sukuna, because she had not met Sukuna for most of his life. Strange to think on it, where had he been, but definitely taller than him now.

"Kechizu is still sleeping. He had a bad episode last night." Of all the brothers, he had suffered the worst with vampirism. He had been a fragile child, born early and nearly dead, and had been sick most of the time. She remembered how Choso's father was always hanging about him, and how after a single day of playing with other children his age, he had to rest the remaining week, the crutches having scuffed sores into the palms of his hands. Unlucky from the beginning, but still cared for this far on.

"I will not disturb him."

"He would be happy to see you." Kei smiled at that, taking her shoes off and drifting into the dimly lit corridor, following Eso into the living room.

It was all traditional in style. Soft lighting, light colours, and pale woods. It had not been fully settled as their space, she could tell, and half suspected it to be worry that prevented them from trying. She would be hesitant too.

"Tea?"

"Please." She listened to him about the kitchen, ear tilted to the sounds of cups, of the kettle being filled.

There was a relief in knowing that they did not judge her frequent absences. The way she flitted about, always on the move. It may have been because they were similar, always looking out for the next thing that might make their lives easier. More for Kechizu than Eso, although Eso suffered all the same. He looked almost right, but his spine had malformed during the change and split into two during seizures, then healed back wrong. They had tried to fix it, but it continued to heal wrong. It caused him pain often, but some nights he was able to work. It was not reliable, though, and Choso was the primary source of income. It upset Eso; he used to be the main worker and had been proud of his strength.

"There you go."

"Thank you." It was still good to see him. He was a quietly calming figure. "When I can safely do so, I will bring Yuji this way." Eso furrowed his brows, before nodding.

"I'm glad he ran into you. Your habit of picking up strays and using them as hard labour hasn't changed."

"I must take advantage of every opportunity that is given to me, a mule is hard to afford these days." With a shrug, she drank the tea. "I am doing what I can. I travelled to Shoko for some information but…" She wondered how to say it. "When is Choso coming back?"

"An hour?"

"He will need to be here for this. It involves him, too."

An hour was hardly any time at all. She could blink and miss an hour, and she could not be judged for it either, but it felt wrong to do nothing in that time, so she helped about the house. Eso was meant to be sleeping, after all, and she sent him off with a wave. An overdue favour, she excused it as. He did not go to sleep, but did lean back on the wall and observe her as she did small chores. There was one thing that was consistent with the brothers and that was in their ability to observe. It was the only reason they survived as long as they did. With Yuji having that same skill, it must have come from the illusive, unknown mother. That mother, that she was certain, was-

"This is nostalgic."

"It it due to the fact that I was always scrubbing the floors, muttering 'unclean' when we were younger?"

"Because you were always there." She paused. Opening her mouth, but deciding not to say anything.

"It was easier to be around, then."

"Hard to make friends in the world now."

"There are less people to make friends with." Whatever he was going to say was stopped when the front door opened. She leaned into the corridor, seeing Choso there taking off his coat. It was the Choso she was familiar with. His plain, nearly human face. Dark hair, dark eyes, eyebags, the whisper of the start of stubble. "Choso."

He jolted, slowly looking up and blinking. He had clearly not expected her to be there. She had not expected to be there, either, and with that knowledge came the dimness. Kei was always an omen for bad news, no matter what Eso said.

"I have something I need to ask you."

Chapter 12

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Did Sukuna tell you where we lived?"

"No." She dipped back into the room, returning to her seat. Eso had lifted himself up to slip into the kitchen, already turning the kettle back on. "This is a nice house, by the by, but it is in need of more decorations."

"I'll do that later."

"I shall bring something next time."

"Don't let it be one of those horribly tacky items you get from the cigarette store."

"Those are the most suitable decorations." And Yuji was collecting them anyhow, so he had no choice in the matter. She would encourage it, if only to see Choso suffer through it. He took the seat opposite her, too tall for the table with his thighs pressed against the underside. He was not the tallest, or the strongest, but he always seemed too large for the spaces he was in. Stocky? "Do they know you're working with the fool in white?"

"Your names are creative."

"Fool in black? Jester? Imbecile? Arrogant-,"

"Alright, I get it. And yes, they do know I'm working with Mr Geto. Eso sometimes works there, but not often." She nodded, processing that information. Eso was not the most stable in vampiric nature, so perhaps he was safe from… whatever was going on with the other Choso.

Eso came in with tea, joining at the table. Working with Geto, it was important that he was involved. She drank the tea in one go, scalding her throat. She barely felt it. Anxiety drummed through her veins, but her heart remained steady. She waited until Choso put his own cup down, fingers drumming along the rim of her cup.

"Choso, I was followed by another you today."

"Like a doppelganger?"

"Those do not exist."

"Vampires didn't exist either." They could hardly speak on things that did or did not exist.

"It was not a doppelganger. This figure looked like you, but slightly different. Longer hair, paler, and a strange mark on its face. A tattoo, or a marking? They also had terrible fashion sense." Trying to make light of the description to hide how unsettled she ws by the figure. "It was there when I was visiting Shoko. Apparently the hospital has been watched for the past three days. I do not know why, normally Geto does not care much for her."

"I've not heard anything down the grape vine." He kept a straight face, but the slightest crease between his brows told her he was unhappy with what he heard. She would be too if she heard that there was another her roaming about.

"Have you ever had your blood taken by Mr Geto?"

"Yes. All of us. You think that's how it was made?"

"Blood is everything. I do not think it would be possible to inject it into a human to produce another you but…" If Geto was good at anything, it was in his persistent hunt for knowledge. Centuries worth of it. He did not know how to give up, could not. It was something that came long before he became a vampire. "If he has another you that he can control, then you and the others better get ready to escape."

"That's my first thought. The problem is doing it before he realises we're gone."

"You could flee tonight?"

"Too suspicious. You see that other me, and I disappear the same day? He's very good at connecting dots."

"The things I would do to scramble his brains with an ice pick and made my life more convenient."

"I could do it for you." Eso piped in. It was the first thing he said. "If he's used mine or Kechizu's blood, then the other figures have no way of looking fully human, he might have thrown them away. They would be a waste of resources, as dark as that is to say."

"It depends on how he made these things. The other figures were…" She had not been paying too much attention to them because she was too focused on the other Choso. Even when she looked on the memory, she could not come up with a solid shape. One was smaller, one was much taller. They were dressed oddly as well. They could have looked inhuman and she would not know. They were able to endure daylight though, which meant they were stronger than Kechizu and Eso. "Eso, your schedule with Geto's disaster of a cult is already flaky, I suggest you and Kechizu travel into the underground first. You both already have consent to wander freely in that space, I suggest you go tonight and establish a base."

"Of course. When Kechizu's well, we'll leave." She had no idea when Kechizu would be well enough to move on his own.

"Tonight, if possible. I know you do not like to move him around when he is unwell, but it is crucial to escape quickly."

"It's blood deprivation. If he goes in hungry, we're just going to get thrown out."

"I will call Shoko." Paying for her own blood. How twisted a turn that would be. She was already getting up to step outside and make the call when Eso stopped her with a steady hand.

"That will raise questions too." The trouble with having a paranoid cult leader. It frustrated her beyond belief.

"I will visit the bank. I am certain I can harass someone in there long enough to get something in order, and Sukuna should support his brothers."

To that, he had nothing to say. It would garner attention if they went to Sukuna for help, but Kei had already established herself as his ally. The only challenge was getting the blood, and then returning to them without the two being linked. She had lost her tails, but that did not mean they could sniff her out again. The nearest underground entry was at the end of the street closer to the public. The nearest one to the bank was five streets away and those streets were open and proud; great if one were a boastful vampire, not great if one were trying to hide.

Choso followed her to the front door, but did not step outside. He looked like he wanted to, but lingered in the corridor as she pulled on shoes and puffy blue jacket.

"Be careful."

"I try to be."

"Be careful."

"...I will."

The entire journey her teeth were set on edge, muscles tense as she searched for anyone following her. If they were there, she could not see them. She was confident in her ability to locate trackers, but was uncertain in that moment. She had not seen them when she was first tracked by them. She could not make the mistake again.

Even in the underground, she did not relax. She wanted to move as quickly as possible, and before she knew it she was above ground again, rushing through the streets to get to the bank quickly. No time for viewing her surroundings, she knew not to run, but rushed anyway.

She saw no figures, but outside the bank she saw an unfamiliar black car. A client. That likely meant Sukuna was busy. Staring at the number plate, she recognised it. Not a good sign. Nothing short of troublesome.

There were two options before her. The first was to look elsewhere for blood. The second was to go forth anyway. If she was seen going to the bank then changing her mind at the last minute, then it would be known that she was avoiding them, and that would bring about questions on why. It would also mean that they would be more eager to snare her into conversation knowing that she did not want to meet. More trouble.

She stepped forth, past the car and up the steps to the lobby. Someone was in the back of the car, but she could not see their figure. No matter who it was, they would know she was there. There was a relief in getting past the car without the door opening.

It was only Mei that was manning the front that day. Kei hoped the room mate was still alive. It was too often that the rules were disregarded and lives were taken unnecessarily. She seemed like a good person.

"Is Sukuna with a client at the moment?"

"Hi Mei, how are you? The weather sure is chilly today, here's 4000 yen-," Kei slammed a note on the table. "Hello Kei, I'm great but my room mate is having trouble, the weather sure is chilly, thank you for the money. Yes, Sukuna is with a client right now. You will have to wait your turn."

"Can you deliver him a message informing him I am down here anyhow?"

"This client doesn't like his conversations being interrupted."

"It does not need to be a phone call." Mei stared at Kei with her bright eyes, calculating. Measuring the worth of 5000 yen. She took out her phone, unlocked it, and texted Sukuna.

"For giving my friend that weapon." It seemed the room mate had needed it. Mei called her a friend. She must have been stronger than Kei gave her credit for, and she had already scaled up the value. Mei did not have friends. For as long as Kei knew her, which was half her life, she kept everyone at an arm's length, even her own parents. It was simply too dangerous to attach to people in this world, and for that she could not judge her. The only reason she had any regard for her was because she were notoriously difficult to remove.

There was a ding. Shoulders straightened, she waited for Mei to answer. The smile was not kind. It had a distinct undertone of pity, and when she spoke Kei understood why.

"You can go up now. The client is eager to meet you."

Notes:

Woop woop it's my birthday. Unrelated but I do have the next chapter drafted and it's wild having the general insults towards Geto, Kei loathes every cult leader to ever exist with the same hatred I have for styrofoam, but when I write him he is straight up eerie in his charm. Kei's like 'he's a bitch, he has no self control and I will destroy him' and then he's got that rizz in person that just sickens her.

Chapter 13

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

There was little point in hiding herself. Hair down and messy, eyes dark, face exposed, she knew that nothing would be gained from concealment. He would know in an instant that it was her; he did not even need eyes for it. He always had a good nose, and she had always worn the same scent. Some part of her wondered if he would smell it on the very blood he drank. She hoped not, she hoped he felt some sting of venom when he drank it, but knew he would not. He would hold it like a prize, and hoard it like treasure, then demand more. All the blood wasted, pints of it, in some twisted shape of her.

The elevator dinged as it reached the top and she wished it did judder or break down instead of moving so swiftly and smoothly. She wished she had taken the stairs. That she would drag every step and make him wait longer still. He would wait, too. As much as she hated to admit it.

The elevator doors shut behind her, leaving her standing in the corridor facing shut doors.

Nothing had changed, but the corridor felt darker. The plants were the same, the rug was the same, the walls were the same mahogany, and yet everything felt slightly off. Like a smile with too many teeth.

He had that impact on the space around him. Even when he was doing nothing, there was simply too much of him.

Kei held back that huff of breath that wanted to escape her lips and walked towards the doors. It did not feel like an execution march, but she felt like she was confronting the judge nonetheless. She wished Sukuna would not answer when she knocked, but knew he would.

"Come in." His voice only eased her nerves because it meant she was not alone with him, but she felt that would not help much.

She did not look his way, made an active effort not to look at him, but focus her attention on Sukuna who was sat on the opposite sofa. He was very good at masking his reaction, but it was clear he had not wanted to bring her in. It was inevitable, she had purposefully taken the choice out of his hands on when Geto would know of her presence, but she would have preferred the circumstances to not be when she was at her most hurried.

"Apologies for interrupting. I did not know you had company, I am content to wait in the lobby until you finish your meeting." She said, as though he had not actively made the choice to invite her upstairs to what had been a private meeting.

"I have never heard you speak so cordially to me before, [REDACTED]" She wanted to flinch.

"Been a long time since I used that name."

"Your own name?"

"Yes, my liege."

"My liege? Since when were we so formal?"

"It has been a long time since we could be considered informal, sire." She did not want to antagonise him, but the desire was always there.

Like most relationships, the break away had been sudden and brutal. Kei wanted to keep it longer, and he may have too, but it was not possible, and she hacked at what tethered them together with a rusted saw or broken coyote teeth the way it would chew off its own foot to escape a mechanical trap; with feverish panic and the belief that a bloody stump was a greater advantage than staying behind and waiting for one's captor.

"A shame, I was rather hoping for a softer reintroduction. Then again, you were not known for softness, even when you were kind, [REDACTED]"

"Kei."

"Kei?"

"I go by the nme of Kei now."

"You named yourself 'intelligent'."

"I found it rather comedic at the time."

"You find the strangest things funny."

"You were hilarious." Were. Now it was like waiting for the punchline that never came. The difference between comedy and horror was all on the punchline.

The whole time, she dared not look his way. Even on media, on those absurd posters and promotions, she never looked at his face. When they were printed on the buildings around her, she always looked at something else. Musicians, restaurant adverts, Riko, graffiti. She would not see him. It was not a habit she had any intention of breaking, because to look at him would be to see him, and to see him was to see what he was not.

Sukuna was who you looked at instead, and she could see it in his eyes. That question that everyone always silently asked when she slipped and suggested more than she was meant to. The reason she always clammed up, kept to bitter tones and sarcasm. Called him every name under the sun and almost never said his name because if she went beyond Geto then there may still be a lingering softness there for someone who was very much alive, but treated with the same whispering grief as a fresh body at a wake.

A wake she had been to.

There was little doubt about it. To speak to Geto that casually, and to not look at him while doing it, there was a history there and it was sad. It was as simple as that.

"Won't you sit down, I know I may have brilliant eyesight, but I prefer not to strain too hard."

"Strain."

It had been a bad idea, all along. She thought herself stronger than she was, that she could bite her tongue and be fine with it, but what stung the most about Geto was not that he was wicked, which he most certainly was, but that he was sweet. Whether a mask, or if it was genuine was something she could rarely tell. He had a talent for it. If he wanted one to think him sweet, it would take no effort at all. The same way it flowed so easily for her to be bitter.

"...I feel like I should be encouraging us to return to the topic at hand." Sukuna trying to save her from causing more trouble, with a clearing of the throat. He did not need to clear his throat, but it was a cue that she would not hesitate to acknowledge, turning sharply.

"I will wait elsewhere, until you were done."

She was already out the door and halfway down the corridor when she heard him speak again:

"I hope we can speak later, Kei." She did not give Geto an answer, keeping her back turned from him as she stepped into the elevator. If she turned to face, he might see her biting her lip, doing her best not to cry.

She had forced composure onto her shoulders by the time she reached the lobby. Mei was still alone, the room mate an unseen worry. It lingered on her longer than it normally would. She knew nothing about this person, had only seen them a couple of times before, and yet they were visible by their lack of presence. Known only through implications of what they were going through.

Mei paused her typing when she saw Kei standing close.

"Not sure if you want to kill me or yourself, there."

"Your room mate… is there something I can do to assist?" Anything to distract. Mei stared, hard, and eventually looked away.

"It involves the man upstairs, and I'm pretty sure that's what has you looking like a trapped animal." Kei tried to straighten her face, but did not feel like it was emotional in any manner. "Your eyes. That's what gave it away."

"...Right you are." That one thing that was never fully concealed. She should indulge in sunglasses more often. Geto had likely seen every conflicting emotion, but he always did. His life was built upon picking people apart, and she was never safe from it. No one was. Except for himself. "What I came here for was blood."

"I've never known you to need blood. Ever."

"I do not require it." But Kechizu did. "A+. Just a pint will do. What is the existing value." She just wanted to leave. To pretend that she could go back to ignoring it all, that it would not follow her at night. Mei did not show what she was thinking, clicking onto something on the computer.

"For A+ per pint it's 18000 yen."

The journey back was not comfortable. It was almost embarrassing to admit how shaken she was. Like she had woken in the middle of the night to see that the door she had slammed shut was just slightly ajar. It was an exaggeration, the dread, but all consuming and just because it turned out to be nothing that time, did not mean there was not something there.

Geto, that dreadful lingering presence, was a noose around her neck. Too much history, too much build up to nothing at all. Two different worlds, that was her foul habit, that kept stumbling into each other waiting for her to give in and reach out. Yet, as with everyone else that reached out, she stubbornly kept her hands to herself and dragged herself through thick mud.

Geto's hand would never be there to help, but to ensnare. Perhaps once, and perhaps if she had reached out then things would be better. She doubted it, though.

It did not stop her from wondering, as she so often did every time she acknowledged that rope's shadow. She always wondered what would happen if she had spoken up before, if she told him he did not need to keep going, to let her carry some of the responsibility. It would have been spiteful grief that fuelled him to go on anyway.

Kei knew that once he set out to do something, it was very difficult to make him stop. That was why she did not reach out. He would have taken her with him, dragged her down to his level, the same way he did-

"You look distressed." She handed the pint to Choso.

"A+ for Kechizu. Feed him that blood, then drag him underground if you must. They must leave tonight." Meaner than she meant, it came with that panic that if she was not fast she would lose more life. Slamming on broken brakes, as she was inclined to do, before forcing the car to swerve into a tree if only to avoid hitting the child.

"Something happened." Choso knew her very well. Sometimes she wished he did not.

"Yes."

"Did he say anything." There was, after all, only one person that could shake her up so severely, leave her wounds open and raw for the world to see. He did not even mean to half the time.

"Nothing I am not experienced with." Nothing that should work her up, and yet she was. It was always Kei, always her overthinking and building up to horrible worries that never happened. Damn that man and everything he was. "I shall take my leave. Inform me of when you are in the underground. You have consent to my abode."

Choso watched her go, her dismissing that quiet reaching out of hand. The way she always did. Never asking for help, never letting others help her. Keep it buried, keep it safe, shrapnel under playgrounds, keep herself alone with everything she did.

Choso never knew the full details of her experience with them. She had different experiences by then; he was protecting his family. Always protecting his family from the firecracker that was her, the powder keg she was always on the cusp of being. He had only experienced the aftermath, that rare time where she could not hide it. Vulnerable in emotions she could not categorise or free herself from. He only knew that she wanted nothing to do with Geto, and to even say his name was to have her lingering too long on thoughts that she was not prepared to break down.

Kei should have lingered longer. Taken that hand. She knew it was a slow poison, this habit of burying something not quite dead. Could hear it scratching bloody fingernails against the wood of its coffin, screaming out, but she kept pretending it was dead because that was easier than facing what she already knew.

She slipped into the underground, tail between her legs.

How little could bring the blue-haired oni down to cowardly behaviour.

Notes:

This one especially is for MullerMilkshake to ponder and go 'oh no' at as I play 'Think of me once in a while' on a loop. Why yes I am now firmly letting everyone know that Kei and Geto have a history and Kei has not moved on from it, and Geto hasn't either. A NEW SHIP!? Maybe. I want tears. Nothing and everything happens in this chapter.

Chapter 14

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Kei had to open up more space in their home, pulling back shoji doors that she had forgotten were not permanent features. Yuji let out a gasp, purposefully dramatic, at the reveal of an entirely new space he had never seen before.

"I had no idea that was there."

"Excellent, that informs me of the fact that it was well hidden."

"Like, that wall was solid, I'm sure."

"I delight in surprising you." They glided along the runners smoothly, a more traditional design in the concealed space, doubling the size of the home with minimal effort. "The space requires a brisk dusting, however all is in a decent condition. It is a good thing that brought with you your own bedding."

Eso had been waiting outside the door carrying Kechizu when she had gotten there. She had no idea how long he was there and had been surprised. She had left their home first, but had spent more time than she was comfortable admitting sitting on concrete steps listening to war time music from the medicine store trying to pose as calmer than she was. The clock had told her it had been at least half an hour.

The devil that that man was to break her facade with such little effort.

Another part of her declared it fair game, as she had certainly fractured his facade enough.

She knew it had been enough time when the elderly man that ran the shop stepped outside and gave her some tea.

"For a broken heart." He said, and she wanted to scoff, but drank anyway.

"It is not my heart that has been broken." The words of a liar, as though she did not do it herself. She almost wanted to call Geto. She had his number, had stolen it from Gojo. She had Gojo's number. She had not called it once, but the desire to reach out was strong.

Even when she was setting up the space for Kechizu and Eso to roam about, although it was Yuji doing the roaming having found a new wonderful place to explore and loving every second of new, she mused on whether she should indulge the whims of others. Whether it would have dire consequences. With Geto, he was notorious for being unable to let things go, and at the slightest movement would chase like a hound in heat. He managed to be worse when he was refused as well. Not because of spoiling, but for the lack of it. It shaped his whole present being how often he did not get what he wanted, so now he took.

Gojo, on the other hand, was a brat. And a loyal dog to Geto for as long as he could cling to it. Once it was because of friendship, and it seemed to still be for that reason, but she suspected it to now be because of exhaustion. Fighting Geto was hard. Kei knew, of all people, because it was the reason she left. It was also the reason that she was debating calling, because he would latch on regardless so she may as well take hold of the situation. Was that not the reason she opted to control the narrative of her return in the first place? And the reason why she secured herself with Sukuna, knowing that he was a suitable barrier against him.

How long that barrier would work was a different matter. He was only allies as long as it was not bothersome to him to maintain it. If Sukuna kept in the way, he was in hot water. Sukuna held power now because he held blood, and he was fine with destroying it all to spite Geto. If Geto got hold of family information, however, he could get a hold of Sukuna and thus the blood. Then he would be on top. That was why she needed to keep the family out of danger. They were not hers, but she owed it to them to prevent them from becoming victims in this rising conflict. Too often she was the cause of their pain.

So take hold she must.

"Yo, who designed these doors?" Yuji was looking at the painted decoration on the shoji doors. A beautiful landscape of mountains and the delicate work of painted heliotrope; vivid purple against an otherwise muted palette.

"He does not take commissions." Kei was not aware of whether he painted at all anymore. She doubted he had the time, and wondered if he saw it as beneath him. He was a leader of an army, and focused on entirely that, she thought. Geto's life was entirely foreign to her. All she knew was all the things he did that were horrifying, and that kept her at bay.

She was thinking too much.

"Well whoever he is, he's a sick artist." She had taken them from her original home. A strange possessiveness. To cling onto the shadow of a different life. There were more things from that life she kept in that space, hidden under the floor. Geto would strut about like a pleased peacock to know it. Gojo would probably put on that mauve kimono and mock cosplay her. He would do it well, too. She had taken a lot of unnecessary things and stored them out of sight. Photographs, little trinkets, things that she could have sold if needed.

"I am going to contact someone useful, do not interrupt."

She flipped a coin on it. Gojo or Geto to call. Heads for Gojo, tails for Geto.

Heads.

Some part of her was disappointed as she called him. The phone rang, and kept ringing. It did not stop. She wondered if he was ignoring her on purpose. Reasonable, it had been a very long time since she called him, he probably forgot she was in his contacts at all. Or who she was. That would be a crude mistake to make, and one that could be easily repaired with a single nickname. The only one that would dare.

"This is Gojo-,"

"Gojo-,"

"I'm not available right now, and probably never will be, but feel free to leave a message after the tone. BEEP." He announced the beep himself.

She had no idea what to say.

"Sato- Gojo, I-," She let out a huff. She should have called when she had a plan. An idea of what she wanted. Impulsive calling was not like her at all. Would he even recognise her voice? Would he check the message at all, or delete it without a care? Why did it matter to her? Why was she doing this? Was she that shaken up, or that stupidly lonely for people that knew her? "Dog. Inform me on whether you have been butchered by your owner. If you do not answer, I shall send Choso after you." A pause. "It would be a... relief to hear good news from you. Farewell."

She hung up.

Now what? Call Geto? He would want something from that. She wanted something too. To get a much closer look at whatever his mind was doing. It was a twisted curiousity. Not something that could be fixed, certainly not by her. Geto was well beyond such things, he would have to be stripped of every source of power before he realised just how low he was, and would vanish from the public eye the way many had before. Herself included.

It would not end well, though. She was not friendly, she was not a good person, and she would be vicious, and he would take it as well as he always did. In that he would take it out on someone else, and Choso had entered his work shift. She hoped he was far away from Geto, glaring at some computer screen or haggling money from a sorry victim.

Kechizu and Eso were safe at the moment. That was a significant victory. The fact that her home still remained hidden was a blessing, but with more people in it there was more risk of being discovered. She was moving about more as well. There was more chance of slipping up.

She made sure she was a good distance from home before ringing. He would not assume it was her, that was what had her accepting the long call. A personal number, yes, one that few would have. She could play herself off as a telemarketer if you found she had nothing to say.

"Who is calling?" Distinctly unhappy. Downright on the cusp of violence hidden behind a veil of pleasantry. He always liked to hide his blood lust, but in recent years he had fully indulged in it, so it was strange to hear it now. It was likely only because it was his personal phone that was ringing. She considered hanging up.

"Myself." A long pause. When it was clear he had nothing to say, or would take too long to say it, she spoke again. "I was contacting to ensure that you were not commit foolish acts, as you are inclined to do."

Immediately for brutal honesty.

"You are the one more inclined towards reckless behaviour." That 'old man' accent Yuji mocked her for. Geto never hid his, everyone knew how old he was and he was proud of it. He had survived where others had not.

"Yes, but when you do it, you do it to the highest degree, usually with a body count. Hence me checking."

"Everything is great."

"Good." She did not believe him, but what would she gain from saying it out loud? What did she gain from any of this? Some sort of closure? There was no closure with him. The man of crash and burn did not allow for closure. "I have to-,"

"Meet up." He cut her off, sudden and sharp. He cleared his throat, though he had nothing to clear. "It has been, truthfully, a difficult time. It would be pleasant to see you again."

He would not confess a difficult time to anyone else. He would not confess it to her, either, unless he believed it was the only way to get her there. He was right. Fickle emotions did haunt every corner, and that stubborn piece of her slow-beating heart wanted to know just how badly he was breaking apart. To point at it and tell her this was her fault.

It was not. She was not responsible for his foolish actions, only he was.

"When and where?"

All the more pity to her for indulging it.

Notes:

Fun fact, Kei's nickname for Gojo is 'dog'.
Also, man, I cannot write Geto too far into the future because he's out here getting worse but pretending everything is swell and hey the girl called him back, he needs to save this number and definitely not spam it, and he's definitely not had a mood boost because she said yes to the date, but peace is never an option. Who knows, maybe Gojo doesn't ignore the message and actually needs help, or Kei backs out last minute and he's left alone in the restaurant waiting for someone that doesn't come. (Making myself sad.)
Also me implying that Geto's an artist (the meaning behind the flowers is just an extra knife in the gut) and it cuts to him in a room with blood splattered walls: "It's interpretative art."

Chapter 15

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"You're mad." It was Kechizu who said it. The first thing he had said to her since they last met. She was certain it was the last thing he said before she disappeared from their lives as well. She was surprisingly consistent.

"I am, but I best take advantage of it. If I refuse to show up he is going to remember and that will be the real problem."

"Why did you say yes at all?" Eso asked, watching her delve into one of the closets, pulling out a tightly sealed wooden box.

"It must be the madness of old age within me. I also do not like not knowing information, and I have no sense of what Geto is thinking. I wish to pick his brains while there is the option to do so." That was the logic she was using. There was a truth to it; it was the majority of the reason. She was going to be made to play their game sooner or later, she knew that from the moment she realised who Yuji's family was. Play to get what you wanted.

Lifting the lid from that box, there was a slight resistance before it lifted, revealing what was inside.

Fabric was a luxury these days, so she was holding something of extreme wealth, if not for the fabric then for its age. A rich plum colour, when she pulled it out, undertones of a deeper blue shone through woven thread. It bled into that blue, then into a paler blue just on the edges of the collar; matching her hair. A difficult process to carry out, she was certain. Embroidered cranes and spider lilies, the band that came with it matched with the red of the spider lilies. The coat was black, lined with white fur. Hair pins and flowers. All things that would sell for millions easily. Even the perfume.

"Damn, did you raid a princess?" Yuji asked, leaning in to look. Fingers twitching to touch the fur. Kei handed it to him.

"No, this is my own. It is old." Very old. If she wanted to get information out of Geto, she had to try and appear charming. Fortunately, he had a soft side for people that wore things he gave.

It had been a long time since she tried to appear charming. She had never been a standard beauty, but it had never mattered to her. Braiding hair where possible, pinning it back with crane pins glinting with purple gems, there was an urge to pose.

She had only dressed this way once before. He had seen that. She wondered if it would appeal to nostalgia or make him bitter; the circumstances were not the greatest then.

They were not the greatest at that moment, but it would work. Out of spite alone, it would work.

"Are you sure you're Kei?"

"Enough of that." Yuji had already taken a photograph, grinning behind his mock question. "Do I look like I will successfully charm a man out of the money in his wallet?"

"You look like you're about to charm him out of his entire bank account."

"Oh if I could be so fortunate." Starving him would be a sure fire way to humble him. The only reason he was holding back with Sukuna.

Sukuna. The last he heard of her, she were pretending not to panic around Geto. If he caught word of this event, which he would, he would question her allyship. As he ought to. Family came first, and if she was a threat to that, then she would be removed from the equation.

That was why she was calling him. It was better for him to hear it from her than anyone else, waiting for him to pick up.

"Kei."

"Sukuna."

"Here to ask what you were going to ask before you were confronted by your ex?"

"No, I had that issue resolved. It was blood for someone you know of. He and his older brother will be staying with me for an unknown amount of time. Some concerns regarding his oldest brother's manager. I shall explain later."

"Then we will need to meet up soon." As to be expected.

"I was reaching out to let you know I will be meeting with that manager. Do not worry, I have no intentions of compromising with him, family comes first, but I want to observe his intentions in person. A proper analysis."

"...And you're sure that's wise?"

"I will be taking every precaution. The oldest will be returning by the time I am in a meeting with this individual, so you do not have to worry about him being under threat." She would not allow it at all.

"What is the place you are going to and when?" She told him. She listened to the quiet, hearing a sigh on his end. "I will drop you off. That's quite a walk, and I may as well give you some advice before you offer yourself to the slaughter."

"I am flattered by your assessment of me."

"It was flattery."

The location to meet Sukuna was on the edge of the city, far enough from home that she did not need to worry about being traced back there, but quiet enough that she would not be heavily observed in her extremely expensive clothes and beating heart and taken as a free meal. Not that she would be taken. Hair pins were sharp enough on their own.

Kei watched as a car rolled up. Blacked out windows in a plain black car absurdly shiny. It was Mahito, of all people, that was driving the front.

"Greetings, fresh tribute." She told him as she climbed into the back with Sukuna. "Are you not terribly young to be driving?"

"Aren't you too old to be alive?"

"Oh, I had no idea you were capable of such intelligent responses." She closed the door, buckling in.

Sukuna was staring a little too intensely.

"I understand, I am the most bewitching individual you have witnessed in your lifetime."

"If it wasn't for your attitude I'd think you had a secret twin sister."

"No, I am afraid I digested her in the womb; often times she takes over in times of blood shed to bathe in blood."

"Charming." He was still staring. "Well, you're appealing to his weird preferences. Very old man traditional, that one."

"It is familiar to him. It is rare that he experiences familiar things."

"How did you know him?" She considered her options. What could be said, what could not be said. Whether it could be summarised in any way whatsoever.

"We often crossed paths in similar conflicts." She decided to summarise. "That comes with a lot of history."

"The way he was looking at you, it looked like he was stuck between wanting to kiss you or kill you."

"That would be an appropriate summary, on account of the fact that I am a massive bitch."

"You are. What about the first thing?"

"As I stated, I am a massive bitch." Sukuna did not say anything immediately, the car going down busy streets, lighting up with activity as the night darkened. Through the rougher parts of town with minimal effort across the highway where street lights were finally visible. "We were friends for some time, and perhaps something more, but I cut off ties after he started on the extremes of his anti-human campaign. He thinks I have been caught up in the cult of humanity, or some other aspect of that way of thinking."

"He thinks you are part of a cult?"

"And thus he thinks he can save me from it by making his own cult stronger. That is not the only reason he is as deranged as he is, as I said he was already in the extremes when I left, but it fuels his narrative."

Kei could tell she was in a better part of the city even without looking outside based solely on how smooth the car ran. It practically glided along the road.

The older part of the city, the part she was the most familiar with once. Buildings from before the war blended in with reconstructions, it took pride in its history. It tasted of images of Kyoto, and was inspired by it.

"I know you think you know about Geto, but I can assure you he is worse. He will try and dress himself up as tamer than he is, but he is a butcher."

"I know." No one knew more than her.

"He will double down on efforts to ensnare you. You might not be able to leave the restaurant unharmed."

"That is possible." Unpredictable. That was how she could explain the presence of Geto now. A collision between who he had been, who he was, and who he was trying to become. She knew the answers to the first two, she had no idea what the last was. Always that question; what was the end goal?

That darker part of her, the part that always knew too much, said he knew it was not a victory. That he did not believe in any of it, and he was just waiting for someone to take him down. The world's longest suicide. Of course it would be Geto to come up with it.

Sukuna looked down at his phone.

"Choso is in the underground now."

"Then everyone is out of danger for now."

"Will you give me the location?"

"No."

"Rude."

"Choso shall." Better to hear it from him. "Geto is likely to come after you with more aggression soon."

"I expect that. I have insurance."

"Insurance, the love of my life." An almost smile as she saw the red gate of the entrance rolling up. There was a queue outside. "I must assume that there is a plan in motion, then?"

"I always have a plan." She remembered why she had never seen Sukuna as a child. He had been a healthy child, so she knew it was not sickness and had demanded to know why he was never around.

It was that elusive mother that answered. He was being trained for something greater, she had said with that vague smile that had unsettled her. Their mother was always eerie to her. Something never quite right. Even now, she would be glad to not see her again.

If anyone was an oni, it was her.

No, that was not it. Something else unsettled her, she reached out for it-

"Give him hell." Kei told him, finally.

"I'll give him a war." Knowing his mother, who trained him for greater things, she believed him. Sukuna unleashed.

Stepping out of the car, she found that the air smelled as fresh as it always had. The car drove away with its warning of war and she stood in the queue waiting to enter and meet the man that would pull the trigger.

"Reservation."

"With Suguru Geto." A pause. An eye twitch barely suppressed.

"Name."

"Kei." He stared at the piece of paper in front of him. Stared too long, before stepping aside.

"Right this way."

Being waited on was never natural to her. She had never come from wealth, a scrappy child. That had come to her by those around her. It was easier to indulge in, then, and pretend it did not come with intentions.

Of course, the Geto of now always had intentions behind his actions, and when the door to a private booth was opened, the first thing to hit her was a smell.

"You came." He sounded surprised, and when she glanced to him there was a smile there.

"I did." He looked good. Well fed, unsurprising considering his empire, but like he was riding a high. There was a flush to his cheeks, a gleam to dark eyes. His eyes were almost never dark. Well fed, certainly. He almost looked humanly alive. She took a seat opposite from him. "You look well."

"I feel well." That smell that lingered. It reminded her of something, although she could not figure out what. "You look beautiful."

"I tried to put in an effort." Removing the coat, revealing the kimono underneath, his eyes practically gleamed.

"You kept it?"

"It would be a waste to dispose of it. I adore the colour."

"I was very proud of getting your hair right." He was quite pleased, which was what she was hoping for. Stroke his ego when she could. She could see he was already holding a drink, twisting the glass idly in his hand. "This? O-."

He expected her to drink. She never did, and never needed to. That was something reserved for low energy and low food. She could just barely catch the scent under that other odd scent.

"Smells like my own blood."

"Yours? You have been selling your blood?" His tone was offended. That anyone should have it. What an insult it would be for him to realise he had been buying and drinking her blood without a care.

"Yes, a good while now. O- Batch 251 I believe Shoko called it."

"...What a coincidence." She was provoking him. Second nature to her, it came with such little effort to tease.

"Why is it a coincidence?"

"That happens to be this drink, and my favourite."

"Huh. I suppose that makes you my sugar-," He raised a hand, a silent call to stop. He looked like he was experiencing a headache. "-daddy."

"Please, never call me that again." A laugh spluttered out of her. She instinctively clammed up.

This was not her friend. Not Suguru, this was Geto, and she was getting ahead of herself. She pushed neutrality back onto her face, looking away.

"Apologies."

"...I am not offended." She wondered if it tasted more bitter, then, as his brows did furrow when he drank. "What have you been doing all these years? It has been twelve since anyone had any idea of you."

"Foraging, the majority of the time, or otherwise farming." It was true. She kept her eyes on the first course as it came in. Fish. How rare.

"Twelve years of just foraging? I know time is long but…"

"It is true." She picked out bones with the chopsticks. "Avoiding the majority of the people I kow. There was, is, too much occuring and I am simply a tired old hag."

"I would hardly call you a hag."

"That is because you are an old man." She started eating.

"You are right, we are both old." It was Suguru who slipped in, then. "I feel it every day. A stranger in this world. You said it back then, too, how it was a world not built for you."

She remembered it well enough. Night time, her first time on a beach, staring at clear skies, understanding that humans would be chilled by the weather where she was not. Standing in waves she told him what she was, and how it was a world where she belonged nowhere, and he tried to bring her into the group more after then. It never quite worked.

"However, good things are coming." The most ominous thing he could say.

"What do you mean by that statement?"

"My long term goals are finally in view. Not by my first plan, unfortunately." A barely visibly flicker of- she could not tell. "However, plan B is well in place."

"Any secrets you wish to impose upon me?" The slightest of sly expressions came upon his face.

"Gathering information, are we?"

"I am always doing that." Lying would be futile. "I like to know so I am not inconvenienced by things."

"You love that word."

"It is my favourite word next to troublesome."

"Yes, you use that one a lot as well." Normally for Gojo. Kei wanted to bring him up, but hesitated.

"...How are things between yourself and Gojo?" His expression immediately soured. "Fighting again?"

"Trouble." Not in a playful manner either, from the tone of voice. Geto was truly angry at him.

"Any advice I can offer?" He considered, which was surprising. It was likely because she was offering advice at all, rather than shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you think Gojo would ever betray me?" She continued to eat, feeling pressure on her shoulders. If she answered wrong, Gojo could be harmed.

"I think, if it ever came down to that, you would have to reflect on why such a thing would happen. He has endured you through your absolute worse, and you have been horrid to him, so to try and figure out why he would pull away from you." Gojo separating from Geto? She never thought it would happen. There was a reason she called him 'dog', he was that stupidly loyal. "I do not think he would perceive it as a betrayal, if such a thing was happening, but shaking you up to acknowledge a dismissed problem. You know him, he is basically incapable of speaking his worries out loud, and you are just as bad as him."

She should not have said it. Geto was unpredictable in his moods, Suguru was the one that would listen to what she had to say. Yet he did not respond with bite.

"And if this was over a human?"

"Listen regardless. He does not care for humans, so if it is over a human then it is bigger than the human." Or maybe he regained a moral compass. Geto would not listen to that, though. "We were all human once, remember. The emotions behind that do not change."

"Not all of us."

"Yes, yes, technicalities." She half wondered if he put himself in that category of 'never human', but he would not say it in front of her. It would be begging for confrontation, and he did not seem to want that. "Talk to him while you are able. Do not end up an isolated asshole like myself."

"So crude."

"It is the truth." He did not deny it.

"You can come back."

"I will not." Beyond the fact that it would be a disaster for many others, she was still a stranger to that world and incapable of bleeding into it. He lingered on that drink too long, staring at her all the while.

The second course came and she was finally able to connect that smell to something she recognised.

"Are you lighting incense?" There was no smoke, no perfume.

"Ah, you noticed it."

"It is hard to ignore, it is so stifling. What is that stench?"

"What does it smell like to you?" This was not the earlier eagerness. This was something altogether more enthusiastic, unsettling. Wide eyed. He was almost giddy. Unnerving to witness. She pretended to contemplate, but she had already narrowed down the scent to something similar, and hauntingly so.

It had been such a strong odour in the aftermath of conflict, flooding streets and brothels. Spiralling in the air, many a soldier drawn to it. To cope with pain, to deal with the exhaustion of the mundane. To feel human. She knew it well.

"Smells like opium."

Notes:

Kei is really out here tryna be the group therapist and politely tell Geto that he's been and is being a dumb bitch that is cutting everyone off and if y'all JUST WENT TO THERAPY- Also yes Geto was that crafty friend that would just give people he liked things. Kei's collection of trinkets is mostly from his manic episodes and giving them to her because his way of bonding is pebbling. He looks horrified at the notion of sugar daddy, but we all know- WE ALL KNOW- (wanna bet how many times that joke has been made against him).
Kei, smelling out MC's blood: "That's opium, baby."

Chapter 16

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Opium? My, now that is an apt description. And it has no effect on you?"

"I have never been drawn to such things. It holds no interest to me." Kei saw how it impacted the behaviour of others, how it ensnared the way any other drug did; people coping any way they could. Even when human, the likes of Gojo found himself there again and again. That addictive personality only lingered when he changed. "What is it?"

"The blood of my former banker."

"What did they do to offend you so?" She tried to remember who this banker was. He had many over the centuries, faces blending together into a vague blob.

"I did not do this." A chuckle did escape his lips. "Oh very well. She was a stubborn brat who opted to make my life as difficult as possible."

"Hardly worthy of a death sentence." He was inclined to disagree, but did not say it out loud. Her disagreement was not settling well, though she did not look up to confirm. She could taste it in the air, stronger than the blood that coiled around her lips, cruel in its teasing nature.

She had not drank blood in almost five hundred years, long before she met the likes of Gojo and Geto. A game of vicious discipline, and one of spite. It had been a hazy figure that told her it could not be done, that it was in her nature to lust for blood.

It was in her nature to be contrary.

"A pity to have lost her."

"You did not mean for it to happen?"

"No, I meant it." She cut the steak of second course into smaller pieces, more playing with making smaller and smaller pieces than desiring to eat. "I found out the properties of this blood after her death, which is why it is a pity."

"Have you confirmed she is deceased?" The glass was paused at his lips. Had he truly not considered confirming? "Geto-,"

"Suguru." She did not want to call this figure mimicking him by the first name, gritting your teeth to say it:

"Suguru," And how pleased he looked. "You know the first rule. If you have not seen the body for yourself, they could still be alive."

How often that one was drilled into them, only to ignore it and immediately suffer the consequences.

"With the amount of blood that was lost there would be no way she was alive."

"How can you confirm that?" Kei was feeding into his paranoia, but a part of her compelled her to explain it to him. A neglected part of her mind that chanted it with fervour. The piece that was out of place. Out of place in ways that chewed at the edges of her mind.

The way Sukuna was out of place that left her just on the cusp of anxiety. On how she had such vivid memories of the three brothers, and yet Sukuna was never there. How when she thought of it, she thought of a mother saying he was training, but she knew full well that there was no mother in that household.

It itched at the back of her mind, the same way this banker scratched blunted nails against the inside of her skull.

Something was wrong, and she did not know what it was.

"I suppose you have given me an interesting insight." Kei was pulled from her thoughts, but they lingered still. They would not leave until she satisfied that constant curiousity of hers.

Dessert was uneventful. She was pondering what to say while he observed in that quiet, sly way. Fox with a vixen. Enjoying dessert was more important than indulging his observations. She almost wanted to be messy.

"I never understood why you avoided blood. It would make your life much easier, and much cheaper."

"Spite, for the most part."

"Of course it is."

"Someone once told me it was not possible, and I wished to prove them wrong."

"Who was this person?" If she squinted hard enough, she could almost see the colour of their eyes. No voice came to mind, no name. No location. Just the memory of it.

"I have forgotten."

"And yet you keep the promise to them?"

"I keep the promise to myself." Food was more enjoyable, anyhow. Although she would not know, it had been that long. Blood could taste better, but she had no intentions of finding out. Especially when humans were dwindling so low. It brought about that question once again. "Geto-,"

"Suguru."

"Suguru, what is your end goal? When every human is gone, then what will you do?"

A reluctance, the first time he had looked away. Kei could not tell if he was thinking on the answer, or thinking of an excuse.

"A new world."

"A new world?"

"Yes."

"...What does this new world entail?" She watched him furrow his brows, open his mouth, huff, and then finally look up again.

"A world with no humans and no vampires."

She wished he had explained it further, but he did not. It left that feeling that never truly left regarding Suguru. Geto truly was Suguru in the worst way possible.

Then, his disdain was equally shared from human to vampire. All with malice and cruelty in their hearts. He did not discriminate. She had misunderstood from the very beginning: that had not changed at all, simply his methods of getting there.

"Do you intend to live to see the end results?"

"Only to ensure it is done."

Suguru indeed. Was this why Gojo was turning away from him? He had realised that Suguru was turning on himself first? Why would he run, then? It would only spiral into something deeper. Was it really over a human? No. It was never something so small. This was something building up.

"Do you intend to leave that world to anyone else?"

"Perhaps." Wiping out humans and vampires. For who? For what? What came next? Was it associated with that duplicate she saw of Choso?

Surely he would not.

It was madness.

But he was mad. She always knew it. It came easily to him. The curse of a gentle heart was how far it would go when pushed.

"Are you certain this is the right answer?"

"It is the only one left." The sad part was she believed him.

Crazy destructive Suguru. Too young and too old. A stone broken down into sand, made into glass with sharp edges, but still as brittle as before.

"Do you remember that show that was always playing in the background about the monster?"

"The one that split in two?"

"One went east, the other went west. The one that went east devoured cities, the one that went west became a doctor."

"Yes, I do remember it. I do not believe it got an ending, as the author died."

"Maybe I will tell you it another time."

It must have been a relief to tell someone his end goal. He followed her outside the building looking more content than before. It was wrong. She did not know if it was better or worse that the one seeking to destroy them all was the same person after all, rather than a wicked persona that grew out of control. It would have been easier to stop him if it was something foreign to her. She needed to reach Gojo. Somehow.

"I am glad you came to me. I hope we can see each other again."

"Before it ends." She did not even know the deadline. There was no official count on humans globally. Would he even wait until every human was turned? If his desire was to start culling vampires, why wait?

Was this why he was after the blood banks? If he had control over that, he could cut it off entirely. Damn destructive man.

"Before it ends."

"I know this might sound foreign coming from myself, but I do care about you. You do not have to destroy it all."

Kei did not believe the words reached him, the smile more a pleasantry than anything else. Whether she stopped him or not, he would die. He had decided on it. She did not know how to stop him.

For the first time in a long time, she had no solution come to mind. Geto would die, one way or the other.

That thought lingered even as she walked to the car three streets down. It lingered even as other thoughts pushed forward, reminding her of the anomaly that was Sukuna.

"What did you learn?"

"He is looking for a new world." She needed to think more. She needed someone to tell this, to decide what to do. To decide what was the right answer. If there was a right answer. Was there any way to save him? Could it be done? Was it already too late?

Thoughts spiralled into panic, yet her heart stayed as steady as it always did. She hated the thing, sometimes.

"Sukuna." To stop on spiralling, cruel thoughts on that inevitable marching death, she turned to other things. "I have vivid memories of a life with Choso, Kechizu, and Eso."

"Damn, I was that insignificant to you?"

"It is a strange thing. When I first thought 'why do I not remember Sukuna' when I was so heavily involved in their lives, I remembered something that did not make sense. A mother telling me that Sukuna was being trained for bigger things. At the time, I did not question it, but I find myself on it again due to one important feature."

The car kept moving, but all felt still. All felt quiet, far more quiet than it should.

"It was something I kept thinking on because of Yuji. In the beginning when you were revealed to have the same hair colour as him I thought it must come from her, as it would only be through her that you would share this gene."

"Reasonable conclusion to come by."

"Strange, then, that I recall both mother and father having jet black hair."

"Yes, a tragedy." She felt the need to swallow, still not looking at Sukuna. Rather than a fox looking at a vixen, it was a fox looking at a mouse.

"Interestingly, there was no mother after Kechizu. Kechizu was born early, that is why he is so small and so ill. She had died in childbirth centuries ago. I had been to the funeral myself." It was like fighting against flood waters. Something pushing against the memories that she knew were true, that had been so casually buried. Sauntered over by something much stronger than her, and she was locked in the car with it. "Which means there is no possible way that Yuji is related to those three."

She willed yourself to look at him. She was certain of it now. She was looking the actor in the face, and she did not know who he was. Vibrant red eyes gleamed at her, teeth glinting in dim light.

Sukuna. It had been a name that bothered her for too long. She thought it to be a disguise, certainly, but it was out of place compared to all others because of the lack of anonymity. How proudly he wore it. When the barrier broke on her mind, she understood that the name was even older than herself. Older still, a calamity greater than any vampire. The true, original oni, the one she had been nicknamed after, and the one that haunted like a black hole. Eternal, and ever lingering.

The reason that the memory had so frightened her was because she understood, even when she could not remember, that it was wrong. That this was no mother, but something that took on the image of a mother, saying a mother's words to her mind. Speaking into her skull what it needed her to believe.

And now he felt no need to hide that he had been playing with her mind. Something she thought impossible. Something never done. And he did it with so little effort, and she had no idea why.

Her heart skipped.

"How long have you been in my head?"

Notes:

Wait, y'all thought Sukuna Mr 1000-years-old was truly siblings with these bozos?
(Sometimes I gotta remember I write and draw horror for a living and give y'all an oh shit situation)

Chapter 17

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

If time moved, she did not feel it. Not in the motion of the car, not in passing lights, not even in the sound of wheels turning. She dared not look away from him to see why all was still, and how such a thing was possible, but with strained ears realised she could not even hear the presence of Mahito. It was simply herself and Sukuna alone in a space that did not feel like a car anymore. There was something distinctly skin-like on what she was sitting on. Everything felt raw. If she strained truly into the darkness, she could barely hear the sound of tearing.

"...You know, out of all the humans, vampires, and, what do you call it, svetocher, I have met, you have the most stubborn mind of them all." It came with a clicking of the tongue, that smirk stretched out, out almost too far before settling into something almost normal, as he looked down on her.

Truly looked down. It was not a car they were in, they were not on equal levels. Something pulled from flesh, being gutted, on a throne of carcasses that never settled, pulsing like a heartbeat. Where was she?

"You are in a car, and we are driving back to your home."

"I did not give you the address I live at." Kei was certain she did not give it to him. Stubborn and insane for it, clinging onto something familiar even when she was not aware of what was hunting her.

"I can assure you, you did, and you let me in yourself. So easily, as well, opening every door behind you. From day one."

"How?" How had he slipped in, how was he able to get there? What could have-

It was too hot, and it was too cold. She struggled to think with this pressure pushing heavily on her shoulders, on her mind trying to make room where there was none, a hand scooping between the gap of her skull and her brain, tearing it apart-

"...You are Yuji Itadori."

"Yuji Itadori is me." So proud he was and in that dreaded moment she saw it. That face that bled out youthful and fresh to the world, so chipper and ignorant. She had questioned it earlier, how he could be carefree, unaware. She should have questioned it more. After he had confessed his origin, what she thought it was, it had come to her naturally to believe him. She already had him in her house for two weeks before even that was revealed to her. She stared at that shifting face, how he could do it without changing anything at all. She knew she was taller than Yuji Itadori, but she never stood side-by-side with Sukuna; he always sat when she stood and stood when she sat, except for that one time- She had not been paying close attention then, she was looking at Mahito.

Mahito who was not in this space with them.

Where were they?

How long had he been inside her mind? Since the moment she saw him in the forest, looking like a lost child, snaring her with her fondness. She had never seen them in the same room, had constantly delayed.

He had plucked up the brothers too. How long was he in their minds, pulling them into his narrative?

"Why?"

It was the only word that she managed to pull out of heavy lips. It felt like there was too much of her. Flooded with a heavy awareness, struggling to move for lethargic exhaustion, something filling her senses with mercury. Her heartbeat was steady, but she could feel it straining.

"You are stubborn, and the longest lasting against me, I will give you that. Most would have passed out by now, and we would be on our merry way back home."

"Not... your home."

"You invited me in. Ours now." She would have to leave it behind again, destroy it all. If she ever got there, it felt like hours had passed, and only minutes. Molasses dragging on every second. "You want to know why? Because you let me in, and I was curious. As simple as that."

She could feel a lump digging its way out of her throat, wanting to dig it out. Blood bled into silk, the odour of fresh meat tightening around each wrist, and she still had no idea where they were, but she wanted to leave.

"Mmm. I like you. Yes, that is a good answer. I like you a lot. You are stubborn, spiteful, and you care so very much. That is why I like you."

She did not have the strength to pull away, thumb pressed against her chin. Red eyes on black, staring on like trapper. It took all of her effort to move her arm across wet guts towards her obi. Each finger was leaden, a burden ten times its weight.

"Truthfully, I do not care what Suguru Geto does. He plans to destroy this world and himself, and create a new one, I will enjoy the show. I only care if he ruins my fun. Your boys, my brothers-," It was so easy for him to mock, voice switching to Yuji's younger tones, "Have no meaning for me beyond how they entertain. I keep them alive because it is fun, and for no other reason. Do not give me a reason to deal with them. After all, they have a much more fragile mind compared to you, and you are struggling to stay focused."

"Why is everything so…" She struggled to finish. "Meaty?"

He snorted at that. The laugh, it was sickeningly like Yuji's. That first call from him, that first laugh, she had suspected to be fake, but hearing Yuji's genuine laugh from his lips, she almost wished it had been real. She hated it, she hated this situation. Fingers tucked into the inside of her obi, fumbling to grab anything.

"Well, I was always a hunter, I suppose it makes sense that my mind would be littered with the remains of those I have butchered. Yours looks rather similar."

Of course, because he had been in her mind. Was in it at that moment. No, she was in his mind. She found what she was looking for, and held it tight in her fingers.

"Now what?"

"Now what?" He mocked your question. "Well, you did ruin my fun, but it is not over. In fact, I find it much more enjoyable to be genuine with you. Here you are, still clinging on. Suguru is angry when people say no to him, I say 'about damn time'. Hunters do prefer pursuing predators to pretty little rabbits, and a rabbit you are not."

Index finger on the ring.

"How about we play a game? If you win, you get to keep all your little friends safe, I might even help you save Suguru from his suicidal ideations." Slowly lifting up. "If I win, I get to keep you."

"I will need that written down on a paper contract."

"This contract will be far stronger than your scraps of paper." She dreaded that he meant it. She dreaded that she was considering it. She had no idea why she should believe him. "Bonds in blood. I need my entertainment, you want to keep those that matter to you alive. The game is simple: find out my real name before time runs out."

"How much time-?"

"One year."

One year. How horrifically long. How horrifically short.

How would she even know where to start? Would she have the time to look at all? Was anything left of that monstrous legend over one thousand years old?

She pulled the cap off, and rancid red smoke filled the space. Sukuna coughed and spluttered, and they were in the car once again. Without looking at the speed, at any of them, she forced the door open with one hand, ripping off the seat belt and throwing herself out of the car. Over the road she went, over the railings and into the river below.

Her mother always dreamed of drowning and often went to large bodies of water to defy her fears. She was a brilliant swimmer, so Kei never quite believed anyone when they told her she was found drowned in a lake. She wondered if she felt the same way she did, coiling against clammy cold clinging onto consciousness, fumbling to reach the surface in dark waters that were far larger than she could have imagined.

She hoped her death was less terrifying, clambering onto the concrete foundations of the massive bridge above, shivering and ruined, clothes that she had claimed to be so precious soaked through. One of the hair pins was gone, the flowers sinking deep into the waters. Her hair hung half limp over her shoulder. Struggling to breathe, still fighting what Sukuna had done to her mind. Languid, it had been, for months, almost a year, and now every second was catching up to her. Every second of when she should have been focusing but could not.

And with it came grief. She wanted to scream, to cry, because she had been played to the amusement of an oni, and he had full reign of the underground.

He might have had it the whole time, playing with her. He played to her tune too well, and had loved every moment of it. No, she played to his tune. She let your guard down once, and someone slipped in.

She could not get your phone to turn on. Even if she could, what could she say to Choso. To Eso and Kechizu? Sukuna had whittled his way into their minds, and danced to the song of little brother. They would never believe her. Family came first. They would believe it was Geto that got to her first. That their date had pulled her to his side. They would sooner move on, Sukuna close behind. Would he kill them right away?

She could not go back home. They were there. He would be on the way there. He would always be lurking there, just on the edges of her vision, and he knew every corner of that space. He was too good at observing. That was how he knew how to deceive her. He had that much experience.

And now she was sitting on a concrete foundation with no phone, no home to go to, and even less to look forward to. Crying should have come easily to her.

What good was crying here? If she cried, she would not be able to stop. Hunkering tightly together against the metal pillar, she held yourself in a ball, head rested on her knees as the river roared beneath her.

Now that all was said and done, what was the plan?

Choso said family came first. Geto was about the world first.

She was about her first.

What would ensure the greatest chance of victory for herself?

What she wanted was always simple. An easy lifestyle with good food, a good bed, and small things to keep herself entertained. If there was someone she cared about, she did your best to take care of them, but if they inconvenienced her, she swatted them away or walked away.

If she gave up here, she would many things that were important to her, but it came at the cost of comfort. Comfort for comfort. She had not agreed to the deal Sukuna offered her, nor was she sure it was necessarily still on the table.

However, Sukuna said he liked her stubborn spite. If anything, he would be waiting at home for her return. When it came down to it, she only had two options. Run away and start over again, or face the challenge and risk it all, or win everything.

Her mother did not raise a coward.

Notes:

Sukuna was just jealous Kei got all dressed up for Geto and wanted to ruin his work and get her his own things. He is totally normal about all of his behaviour all the time. (Guess you can say that pov Yuji chapter was a very clever deception. YOU TOO were deceived by him. We are all in this mind fuck together.)
(Also writing Sukuna is nightmare fuel. I was playing the Trapper soundtrack with all the meaty sounds from Inscryption through this. Mmmm meaty.)

Chapter 18

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

A fine difference there was to be had between thinking something and doing something.

Childish spite had her going back into the fast moving water currents to pursue a floral ornament at the bottom of a river and plucking it up for herself. Spite had her tucking them away, had her gliding along the river current until she hit the shore, had her climb up the concrete reinforced embankments, marching down the highway thoroughly soaked, hair ruined, make up ruined, murder in her eyes and every vampire making an active effort to look the other way.

She could only imagine what they thought. Perhaps they recognised the glare of someone that would deem them edible. Or perhaps it was the hair pins clutched so tight in her hand like a weapon, and she would use it as a weapon. Knuckles clenched so tight the veins did bulge with enough strength they could be used as rope to strangle.

When she did not know what emotion to settle on, anger was a useful tool.

Anger fuelled her as she walked through street-lit streets until those lights became fewer and fewer, until the streets were quiet, until trees stretched behind her and she was alone and still her legs pushed her forward until she was on the cusp of that place she declared home for so long.

She did not push into that territory. It was no longer her home. It was the abode of someone that held those around her hostage, and she had let him in.

She let in one of the greatest calamities of this world as though he were a dear friend, and had done it with so little effort.

All it took was a good act.

The worst part was, standing there, she had no idea whether it was an act.

It would be easier if it were an act.

A part of her, that part always connecting dots, said he acted too well, and she had to think on whether he was truly Yuji Itadori, or simply wearing his skin.

This was all on whether he was telling the truth.

There was no doubt that Sukuna was an entity of incredible malice. She had almost drowned in it, choked on it. Did he really pull on the skin of an innocent so easily? How? Or did he simply say that he was Yuji Itadori to play with her mind further. Sow the seeds of distrust and watch the chaos unfold as she made more enemies for herself, as she was always inclined to do.

Entertainment mattered to such a monstrosity more than anything, she could say that as someone that had also lived a terribly long time. Not nearly as long as him, but longer than many others. Longer than many vampires. If she was not entertained, or could not make her own entertainment, then she would go mad and destroy herself.

A shame that she was his entertainment then.

She lingered too long, standing there in the darkness still armed and ragged, unflinching when torch light was shone on her and her eyes shone back. Never yellow, but with the gleam of animal eyes caught so often in camera light that so unsettled.

Kei did not flinch from it, did not look from where her eyes had settled, but she could smell the familiar tones of Choso nonetheless. He did not say anything as he came closer, still when he took off his coat and wrapped it around her. She had lost the fur lined coat down the river. A shame, as it had once been her favourite, and so rare. She would never see it again.

"Let's get you warm." She did not answer, but she followed when he tugged her along. For the first time, when he reached for her, she took his hand. She dreaded that he would be taken from her, and clung on tight.

"I do not think I can win this." Win anything. It felt like no matter where she stood, she would lose. Trapped in checkmate, paralysed by too many things to be done.

He did not offer advice, she was not looking for it, silently entering the belly of the beast as she entered what was once her home, having no idea on who to trust or what to trust.

He could have been lying to her. There was no reason for him to not do so. She never should have trusted anyone. She could not even trust Choso. If Sukuna was in his mind, then he was listening. Sukuna knew far too much about her through the eyes of others, and could weaponise it. He had been inside her mind. How much of her did he know? Pluck her thoughts and play them like episodes of a show.

Could he be listening then?

What could she trust? What could she do?

What was the right answer?

It followed her into the main space. Even as the others hovered about her, she felt that stagnation. Whatever they said, it was underwater. She wondered if she was still in the river, still drowning. If she ever came out, or if the underwater currents had pulled her further out and these were her final unconscious thoughts.

To leave this world the same way her mother did.

Kei never believed her mother would accidentally drown, but what if it was not murder? Not murder, but not an accident? Things had always haunted her in strange ways, strange moods that hung around, too tight, as centuries tugged along. Had it simply become too much for her? Did she decide it was simply too much to go on? Kei was almost the same age as she was when she died, was this madness destined for her?

The water of the shower did not console her thoughts.

It warmed her up, but still a spike of ice had burrowed itself into her heart. That uncertainty, that noose tighter still around her neck. She was on the hangman's block, and there was only one way to go.

She had to play his game. There were no other options allowed to her.

How would she even win? One thousand years was the minimum of his age, everything else was legend.

And people thought she was the oni.

Perhaps that was why he tuned into her existence. She had exploited the legend of a calamity to ensure her own victory on at least five separate occasions, and there was little doubt he had heard of them.

Did it really matter? It did not give her the answers she sought, which was to know who Sukuna was. The only way to win was to know his name, and she did not know how to start.

Unless she could snare information from him as part of this so called blood deal.

If there was no other way to push forward, then she had to take as much as she could to give herself a chance. She willed your stiff limbs to wash thoroughly.

She had to hope that she would win.

Kei was clearer in mind when she returned to the main space. The brothers had turned in, but she was not alone in the kitchen. Yuji Itadori was cooking.

He was a good cook, she would not deny that. Sitting at the table, she observed him. Smiling, he looked like he was genuinely enjoying cooking.

The contrary nature of what she thought she knew, and what she was watching. It truly seemed to be a different person from the figure in the car. However, the more she stared the more she became aware of just how easily he could shift into the dreaded figure of Sukuna. He was strong, she knew that, and with so little effort those shoulders were broader, height just barely taller, a face so sharp so cold, and he was coming closer with two plates.

Kei did not thank him, though she usually did, and should be more polite though there was nothing she wanted more to shake him. To demand what he had done to her brain, whether Yuji Itadori was just a mask or an actual person.

The thing about having her mind so wickedly twisted was that even dear friends could be strangers. She could become a stranger in her own skin. An imposter, with a blink of the eye.

"The reason I am so stubborn about getting things on paper and on contract is not because I actually believe the other person will keep their word or that the paper will insure me. I am not so naive as to believe others obey these arbitrary rules. If someone wants to break the contract and cause you misfortune, they will do it regardless." He sat opposite her, and she did not look at him. Staring at the donburi in front of her. These were expensive ingredients. She did not need to ask where he got them from. "I keep the contract so I could justify it to others when I took what I deemed mine when the contract was broken. See what he has done, I would say, he has broken the contract and it was written that I would take my due if it was broken. This is my due, and I always took what I was pursuing in the end, because I have never believed in others before. With that in mind, if I want to help someone or get something, I simply did it. What I am saying is I have never done a blood deal because I have never needed to be held accountable to such a thing. If I want to do something, I simply do it."

Speaking as much as she did, staring down at the rice bowl, still hanging on the notion that she had no idea whether Yuji Itadori was ever a real person, or if it had always been Sukuna wearing such skin. How did he have the time to run a blood empire at the same time? Could he split himself into pieces? She had heard that he could split himself into twenty separate entities all equal in strength, and that they could return into the true entity that was him; blood curdling in power. The Sukuna she met and the Yuji Itadori in front of her could be two splices of the same individual. Were there more of him scattered about, or was it only half power between the two?

"My mother once took on the title of an oni, that of Ryomen, when she was in violent pursuit of those she felt had done her wrong. Of course, people were terrified because that title belonged only to a calamity and no one thought anyone would dare to provoke the real thing by using his name. When she died, I carried the same name for the same reason. Only a maniac would take on the title of Ryomen. Do you think I am a maniac?"

"I do not know what to think of you." It was with Yuji's voice that he spoke, but Sukuna's eyes.

"I thought it would be appropriate if I held onto that name until the end, the same way my mother did. She drowned with it. I thought the name must be cursed, despite holding onto it, because she was half mad before she died, and I still do not know how she drowned for she was a very good swimmer and did not need to breathe."

"A name can be cursed, but Ryomen is a title, isn't it?" A title? That was one way to see it. The name was a strange warning; the two faced entity that could destroy it all.

"True." She made herself eat. "Back to the matter of blood deals. I know that the foundation of the deal must be solid, and can never be shaken. It is the one part that guarantees violence if it is broken, primarily in all the blood being boiled. Not a fun way to go, if you ask me, but a good way to get the closest you can to 100% pure beef."

"In this society, certainly." His real voice was starting to slip through. Becoming himself. Taking pity on the fact that she had been so shaken? How infuriating it was to be pitied, but better pitied than deemed edible.

"However, other aspects can be organised, I believe. It would be a good idea to write it down."

"Did you not just say that you never believed in the value of written contracts?"

"A blood deal is something entirely different. Best to ensure we are on the same page." She felt crawling under her skin, and though she did not see it, she knew he was grinning.

"So you have chosen to agree to the deal?"

"Not yet. It would be foolish to agree with only this, and it would be a pity to." She heard the chair creak backwards.

Coiling smoke around her, it smelled like searing flesh and that awareness of being in a space beyond them took its hold. She did not look around, did not need to. She knew what she felt, what she smelled, and tasted in the air. It was not a visible change, but she knew it was there. That world of hell just beyond her reach, but all too eager to claim her regardless.

"What are your terms?" He asked.

"Regardless of whether I fail or pass, I would like to request no harm to Choso, Kechizu, or Eso."

"I already said if you succeeded that no harm would come to them."

"I would like to request that no harm come to them if I fail either." She made herself look at him, force herself not to break eye contact. Stare into unnatural red. Not the eyes of a vampire. The eyes of a disaster.

"I will not bring harm to those three as a result of you failing or passing the game." She wanted to push it further, to ensure no harm came at all, but she could already tell if she pushed further then it would provoke a reaction. She knew she would not be able to fight that reaction. If was a small thing she could do to secure them; she just had to work around to be sure nothing else harmed them; he said he would not bring harm. Others could do that easily enough. "In return, you must not expose my identity to any allies or enemies for the duration of the game."

As if anyone would believe her. Or she would be insane enough to do so.

"I like living, so would never do that, but very well I accept that."

"Good girl."

"I will bite you."

"Flirting this early?"

"In a non-sexual way. I will make it entirely mundane and unoriginal."

"Like what I did to your wrist."

"More like if I bit your ear and shook it about like a dog shaking a new toy." He grinned. Why was she making casual conversation with him? This was on an entirely different level from Geto. This was a fight she stood no chance in. Why was she speaking so carelessly in the middle of a contract deal that could damn everyone? "Another condition. Twenty questions of either yes or no that must be answered truthfully."

"If I get twenty questions of my choice with a yes or no answer that is the truth."

"...I thought you were already in my mind, would you not already know most things about me?"

"I do not waste energy pointlessly. I have plenty of time to do that in the future." Something cracking, she did not draw her eyes away to look at it. "Besides, this is much more fun. Bonding time, wouldn't you agree?"

She held her tongue on spiteful thoughts.

His arms were crossed, leaning back and watching with that ever constant smug presence. This was certainly no Yuji Itadori. She had truly been deceived. It hurt more than it should have. That meant she had cared.

All the more pity to her

"A deal it is." When that arm stretched over to shake, it felt like a shackle. The grip was firm and powerful, but it was not a monstrous hand. It took so little work for him to shift between someone she had grown fond of, and a complete stranger.

"Who was Yuji Itadori based on?" It felt like an obligation to mourn whoever it was. Mourn someone she had only met in the mockery of him. A cruel taunt. She hoped he rested peacefully, that whatever his demise, it was without pain or torment. She half wished there was a grave to mourn the stranger at.

"I told you, he is me. And I am him."

"He does not match your nature in the slightest way."

"I can assure you, he did."

"I wish I met you then, if that is true." It was the one time she had seen his expression drop. Something hollow stared at her, and she looked away. She was already so tired. How often she mourned the losses of hollow men.

"Go to bed. You look a mess."

She did not argue, and when she fell on the bed and closed her eyes she dreamed of drowning.

Notes:

Sobbing: Younger Sukuna and Kei would have been besties!
Mourning people that are still alive because of how vicious the change. Sukuna had definitely developed a thing for Kei, but he can never be Yuji; that fella's dead af, and only comes out as a mask upon layers of masks for him to wear to get what he wants.

Chapter 19

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Screams of wounded men echoed in her ears even when she woke.

It had been a long time since she dreamed of that place. She preferred not to think of war in any form, to push it into the very back of the cabinet in her mind. All she would think about were missed opportunities and people that did not make it. It haunted others less, able to disregard humans around them with no effort at all, but she was aware of humans all the time. It made every war a heavier chain around her ankles, dragging her down.

And now she was dreaming of wars again. Soaked up to her knees in thick, black water rancid with decay, a rat's idle swimming, the hunger. She had almost cracked in that place; there was no food to be had except those dying around her.

She was glad to be out of it.

Never one to delight in conflict.

A sigh poured out, dragging herself out of bed, stumbling over blankets.

She looked no different from usual; still plainly disinterested in the world, flat eyes flat expression, steady heart. The individual who was so difficult to shake. And yet it happened so many times in a single year.

All it took was a calamity.

Lazily tying hair back, throwing on a heavy cardigan, she felt her age when she faced everyone again. They were waiting for her, that was sure, and she only had so much energy.

"Why were you soaked?" It was Kechizu that broke the silence as she slumped down. She could smell that absurdly taunting luxury known as coffee. Brewed, too. She looked for the source. Choso. Did they bring it from their home?

"I needed to cool off, I was really irritable."

"So you…?"

"Threw myself into the river. Fully clothed. An entirely reasonable thing to do." Following the coffee pot like a hawk as Choso joined everyone else at the table. It was not as rickety as she was used to. Glancing down-

It was a different table.

"Who's table is this?"

"Ours. Yuji grabbed it when you were away along with a few other things."

Yuji. Sukuna. Whatever his name was, which she had to find out if she was to get any degree of peace. Half-heartedly, she shook the table to reaffirm its solid nature. It was not moving. It fit everyone on it too.

If she was going to be dragged into someone's twisted games, they should at least compensate her with food. That was her way of life, and she indulged in a sweet breakfast to make up for how bitter she felt.

"Did you learn anything on your not-date with Geto?" Yuji asked. Kei could see Choso perk up. Had no one told him?

"You went on a… date with my boss?"

"Former manager, and it was not a date. An obligatory investigation into his sanity and a chance to pick his brains." A little too much force into the waffle, the fork hit the plate. "What I learned was that he is still Suguru Geto, and that might seem like a good thing because that person was kind, but it is really a very bad thing because he thinks this is for the good of others, and more importantly he does not discriminate between human and vampire. We are all equal in being something he wants to remove."

She did not want to talk about it. She was fully stumped on what to do. It would have to be someone else that she would have to contact to truly convince him; the destructive fool.

"He wants to kill everyone?"

"He wants for the world to start over, whatever that entails, and he is both very hard to kill and very hard to convince. If someone is to stop him, it could not be me. He has been in this plan too long for that."

"...Shit."

"That is what I thought." She drank the coffee, then shoved waffle in her mouth.

It was with such a heavy thought that breakfast continued in relative silence. Yuji-Sukuna was the one that kept breaching that silence, trying his very best to perk up the mood. It worked on the others, but not on her. The entire nature of Yuji was soured with what she knew, and it made every interaction wrong and insulting. She almost slipped into the old habit too, dragged on by the fact that Yuji managed to look hurt that she was not responding in her standard manner.

She wanted to sleep.

She cleaned the plates, and kept her back turned from everyone as she did so.

Problems would occur if she kept failing to maintain the performance of Yuji and Kei's friendship, but she could not will herself into it. It hurt deep. Strange to have cared so much in such a short time. It felt less like a deception and more like a death. Like Sukuna had killed Yuji and was taunting her with his image.

Killed.

Sukuna had said that once he had been someone like Yuji Itadori. How did someone like that become a horror like Sukuna? Mere age? How did someone become a monster?

"Kei." She turned off the tap. She had left it running too long, deep in brooding thoughts.

She was alone with him. What could be said on that?

"This is depressing to watch, were you really that shaken?"

"First question. And yes. I was." He probably did not mean it to be one of the questions, but she took it anyway, she disliked the idea of him hunting information out of her. Even this felt like too much. "I enjoyed the presence of Yuji Itadori, though I first considered him clumsy and foolish, and then a useful pack mule. He was… rare, in that he was happy to be alive and a good person. You do not get that often. I wanted to help him."

Yes, it was really that simple. That thing that always lured her into dangerous circumstances. She saw the rare glistening gems of someone so eager to live, who was doing their very best to be good, and she was compelled to keep that glow on them just a little bit longer. She was already so blood splattered, it never mattered to her that she committed horrific acts, if only to delay the horror of seeing good people break a little longer.

Most would call her foolish for it. She would be inclined to agree, but it kept her warm.

Dark eyes watched, observing with the slightest of frowns. Thinking. She would ask what he was thinking, but that would not be a question that was guaranteed an answer.

"Is your name still commonly used in modern Japanese?" She asked. A question for a question.

"Yes." A start. It still existed, and was common enough. She wondered what to ask next, but lingered still. He leaned elbows on the counter, sliding them forward and closer, staring up at her with that ever constant observation. "I saved your fur-lined coat. You looked so pretty in it, I would hate to see it gone forever."

He chuckled at her baffled expression.

"What? I, too, needed to cool off and there is no better place to do that than in the river below, not that it had any impact on me. You were the one flailing around trying to rescue a hair pin, losing your cloak on the way."

She wished she had one of those hair pins on her. Or that she could bite him.

He might let out a cry and tell his big brother that the oni took a chunk out of his neck, and she would be the mad woman that everyone fled from.

No, she would not react, grabbing the drying cloth and starting to dry dishes. He was trying to pull reactions out of her because she had stopped. Leaning his full weight on her as she continued dishes.

"I am dying of neglect over here." The dramatic voice of Yuji. It still stung.

When would it stop hurting? He was there, and talking to her, but he was not real. How childish she was to still be hung up on it. When being dramatic did not work, he took to staring. Really staring.

"You are well and truly upset." It was not a question, so she did not have to answer. "Well, damn, I know you were a softie but that is cute. I am not sorry I am who I am, but I would have preferred you took longer in finding out because this is sad." Then he blinked, and stood upright, and took her by the waist, swinging her away from the counter with ease. She fumbled to grab onto the counter but he was already slinging her over his shoulder.

"What on earth are you doing?" Baffled, startled, fumbling to get free, an assortment of moods rushed by as he marched by the main living space, waving to the brothers as he went.

"We're going on an adventure." So chipper a tone.

"I am not going-," He hiked her up a little higher, and pulled open the door. She grabbed onto the frame, calling to Choso for help. When he looked away, Eso. Eso merely waved and wished them both a good trip.

There was no point in fighting. Halfway down the third corridor, she stopped trying, slumped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. If he was going to take her somewhere, he was far stronger than her and would have no difficulty in doing so. Her face was pressed against the red hoodie, staring at nothing but red.

Always it ended back in the colour red.

She wanted to sleep.

He was humming a tune, a tune he was always humming that she recognised as one of the songs he was always listening to. The sort that got stuck in someone's head. The sort he had gotten stuck in her head.

"Are the chances of me being tortured or killed high if I lose?"

"Second question." He kept walking. She could vaguely tell where they were based on the tile pattern. Back to the blood bank? He had to work, but if he could split himself into twenty then he would already be there. Why was he going to the bank? "No. Even when you are a miserable sow like this, you are too fun to get rid of."

"I'm not sure, I can put more work into being an even more miserable sow, let me remember some old poetry. The world of dew is, yes, a world-,"

"...of dew, but even so. Yes yes, we all know Kobayashi and how miserable his life was, I was there. Your torture risks will go up the more miserable you are."

"Promise?"

"Third question, and yes." She was losing questions to foolishness. She could not keep doing this. She clammed down on her tongue. "Actually, no, that one will not count as a question. I do not like you quiet."

He came to a stop where she expected him to; those concrete steps with the red carpet that stained the floor beneath red. More the afterimage of what was once a rug than an actual rug. He had the decency to finally put her down and offer a hand which she did not take.

"Fine, put me in a bad mood." He went ahead of her, hopping up each step before pausing at the door. "Have you ever fucked Geto?"

"...Question two?" Where did that come from? He was barring the door too, staring down at her. No intimidation in his pose.

"Question two. Or Gojo for that matter. Or Choso." Squinted expression, mouth slightly open, she felt like she was doing complicated maths trying to process why that was something he should care to ask at all. "Let me change the question: have you fucked any of your companions?"

"...Why is that something you wish to know?" The maths simply was not working. She wanted to say it was jealousy, but it was not an accusatory tone that he used. Simple curiousity. He was messing with her. She was giving him a reaction, that was why.

"Fun to know who you might lean on the most." Definitely to mess with you, then.

"I have not engaged in sexual intercourse any of my companions, no. Or anyone for that matter."

"Shit, you're a virgin?" A centuries old virgin, how startling that must be for the man who wanted to fuck half his employees. According to Yuji, who was him.

"Third question. Yes."

"Holy shit."...He was blushing.

The one thousand year old calamity of destruction was blushing. Was a virginity kink a real thing? She was not about to indulge in the levels of messed up that was.

"Enough of that, you look absurd thinking about it."

"Well now you just have me thinking all sorts of things."

"I encourage you to not do that and to keep your kinks to yourself."

"Not a kink, just you." She walked past him, and shoved the door open. It jolted and swung back with force, hitting the brick wall behind it. "And you haven't drank blood in some five hundred years either, from what I know." Whatever fantasies he was pulling himself into, she wanted to hear none of them.

"Where are we going?"

"To collect your cloak."

She wanted to go to sleep.

Notes:

Slightly more filler chapter just because last two chapters broke my lil heart, I feel as upset as Kei over my actions. Also Sukuna is definitely just like 'man I really can take everything from this one' with enthusiasm. He really is just asking questions to fuck with her and ends up having to slam the breaks on himself.

Chapter 20

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Does your name start with a consonant?"

"Third question, and yes." Walking out in the open, it was a cold, damp day and white snow was trodden on by so many feet it was being compressed into ice. Slush built into every corner and soaked rubbish left piled up for collection. Everyone but Kei and Sukuna were bundled up for the bitter cold, sharp winds cutting through wind tunnels as you separated from the poorer districts into slightly more stable areas where traffic lights worked and cars were used more than feet, and gritters scattered salt-sand on roads, engines roaring by them.

"Does the first letter come before O?"

"No it does not." She had managed to cut it down to seven starting letters in four questions.

"Does it start with any of the first letters in your title Sukuna Ryomen?"

"...Fifth question, no." Down to five letters, she kept watching his back. She opened her mouth as he turned, hands shoved into the hoodie pockets. "I am curious. Since you're a hybrid, have you ever had a mate?"

"Hybrid is a term reserved for humans that were turned into vampires but the process was incomplete. I was never human." He rolled his eyes at that. "I do not think I can have such a thing. I have never felt the need to possess or obsess over anything in the way that I am told it is like."

"Damn." Why did he sound so offended. "Well, I suppose since you cannot turn anyone it would make sense."

"I have never tried to turn someone."

"We better find a victim for you, then."

"I will pass, I have no interest in drinking blood."

"Yes, you are insane like that. Five hundred years? What put you off it?"

"I am just overwhelmingly spiteful and petty and someone told me I could not do it so naturally I had to try."

"Makes sense for you." The street had not a single wobbly paving slab, that was how she knew she was in the wealthier district without looking away from his back as he continued walking ahead. In her periphery she could see those buildings with cast iron balconies and white facades, trying so hard to emulate the building style of France. Not old, but not terribly new, but they had central heating and very nice views if one were high up enough. The sort of place she used to dream off in earlier days. A balcony with a view over the whole city, she would have those over-the-rail flower beds where she would grow lavender and mint, and drink coffee as she watched the sun rise every morning, playing music on the record player. She always liked Mon Amie La Rose. She liked France, despite everything that happened there.

Perhaps that is why she liked these buildings the most, and when she did leave her den she lingered a little longer in this space, leaning against the rails people would chain their bikes to and simply stare at windows and imagine the lives inside.

There was not much to observe then; no humans could afford places like this, and all the curtains were shut.

"I will buy you a place here." She had not realised she had stopped to stare, lingering at the very bike rails she so often did. The rowan tree on the edge of the pavement was bare, but a familiar friend.

"I like people watching. There are no people to watch right now." She pulled away. The cafe that she used to buy coffee from shut thirty years ago, the owner having turned. It had been converted into a night club.

The bank was starting to bleed into the background where it had inspired awe in the beginning. Truthfully, it only inspired such a reaction because there were few buildings in its immediate surroundings, so it looked larger than it was. If it were surrounded by other buildings, it would look almost plain. Not that she said such things out loud. She doubted Sukuna would be offended, but she did not want to find out that it was so heavily attached to his ego. She never knew with individuals that were over one thousand years old. Did one get attached to such things at that age?

Following Sukuna into the building, she saw Mei working as usual at the front desk. She looked up and nodded Kei's way before glancing the direction of Sukuna in a moment of bafflement.

"A… hoodie?"

"We are interacting with his inner child who demanded a hoodie or homicide. Homicide was in short supply so we retrieved the hoodie." Her flat-toned response came out before she could stop herself. "He also wished for dinosaur nuggets-,"

"...I will throw you over my shoulders again."

"His favourite movie is Human Earthworm 4, he thinks the third one is mediocre-," Over his shoulders she went. "Remember me as I was, Mei-Mei. The only comedian that ever mattered. Make sure to bully Gojo for me, for he has ignored my call and probably has dementia anyhow."

"I will bully Gojo to the best of my ability." In the elevator Kei went, waving Mei goodbye before she were turned away as Sukuna faced forward, sending them both up to the offices above.

The silence was meant to be stifling, but she did not care.

"...I am hilarious."

"The only comedian that ever mattered."

"Mei's room mate is missing."

"She has been for five months. Although…" He did not finish the sentence. "Your friend Suguru has been harassing her. Normally I would not care, but my employees are mine first. A very unfortunate situation for him if I found he plucked her out of my garden."

"I would not be surprised if he did it. I got the distinct feeling that she was the 'no' sort, and Geto never took 'no' well."

"Oh she was. To everyone, even me."

"You lure the 'no' type to you with your brat energy."

"You are the one acting like a brat here."

"It is part of my comedy act. Everyone looks at this bored face and thinks 'oh what a serious and depressing one' and then I come up with a superior joke and startle them into laughing. It never fails." A lie.

"That would mean the serious one in your act would be the one that everyone thinks is the comedian but they are really sincere and serious."

"I long for such an individual to terrorise society with. I must find the serious to my comedy." The elevator dinged and he stepped out into the corridor, still carrying her over his shoulder. "I gave her a nail gun with silver tips."

"I almost feel bad for whoever she aims that at."

"If she is shooting people, they deserve it."

"Even Geto?"

"Especially Geto."

The doors opened and he stepped in. Kei heard someone moving about, no, two people. Lifting her head, she could see Mahito, mouth still hung open as he was in the process of eating a muffin. She took it from his hand as Sukuna walked past him, eating it. Small revenge for being the car driver.

The second person only half startled her as she was swung off Sukuna's shoulder and onto the lap of...Sukuna.

She immediately climbed off.

"Well, I thought I would try."

"Sorry, you are not my preference of man at all."

"What is your type?"

"The second half of my comedy act." Seeing Sukuna standing next to Sukuna was disorientating. The only difference beyond attire was that the one she had known as Yuji had his hair over his forehead. A few efforts made him look younger when he tried, but if she had seen them next to each other she would have assumed he was a clone the same way Choso had a clone.

"That was my muffin." Mahito announced.

"I ate it. It was delicious. I will do it again." Middle fingers her way, the other Sukuna was working on the computer while hers was wandering about the space, rummaging about a drawer before pulling out a key.

Kei wondered how he was able to spread his consciousness. If he could split himself into twenty, how would he manage such things? Would the struggle worsen the more pieces he split himself into, until they were only able to do minimal activities? Did they all have separate experiences that they shared at various times, or was he aware of all the activities occurring all the time?

Yuji-Sukuna walked to that back door that she had noted before. The sort of door that bled into the background, and he disappeared into it for a short time. All the while the other Sukuna was silently working in the background. Out he stepped, holding that cloak perfectly dry, looking freshly new. He swung it up with a flutter, dramatic and very unnecessary, and settling it over Kei's shoulders.

"You would suit one of those Russian fur coats and a glam dress. The kind that only a lady that could kill would wear."

"I used to have a beaver hat and coat during the revolution."

"Neat."

"And a gun."

"Naturally." He pinned it in place. "Right, get comfortable. We are waiting for something."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"It would be useful for you to pay attention to what involves your dear Suguru." She hated the way he condescended Geto's first name. It was obvious that they were not really friends and that Sukuna looked down on him the way he did with others. Geto was simply a slightly more interesting chew toy than others, and as was she. She crossed her arms under the cloak, a squint in her eyes before turning towards the sofa the hapless victim known as Mahito was relaxing on, and sat down. Then she lied down, before slamming her head on Mahito's lap.

"Excuse me, I'm fucking sitting here."

"I know, pillow." Arms still crossed, ankles at the arm of the sofa and dangling over, it was very uncomfortable.

"If you want a good pillow come here." He had sat on the opposite sofa, patting his lap in that mocking manner. Squinting harder, she turned her head dismissfully and shut her eyes.

"Let me know when things get interesting."

"You are one cruel lady."

"You enjoy that aspect of me."

"Sure do."

She still upset. That kept her from being too good in company. She started listing names in her head.

She must have drifted into near sleep at some point because the voice next to her ear caused her to jolt, snapping eyes open and forcing her upwards. Mahito scuttled away, freed from the prison she had trapped him in, and he was immediately out the room. Yuji-Sukuna was sat on the floor, fingers pressed into the sofa cushion where her head had been.

"Your disloyal dog is up and moving."

"Dog? Gojo?" He scoffed at that.

"Of course you call that one a dog as well."

"It is what he is."

"It is, but no, I am referring to the other one." Geto. The one that had been so quiet in the most concerning of ways. He had talked on his intentions and it had unsettled her, would he be moving towards his destructive actions so quickly? There were too many humans to successfully wipe out the vampires at the same time, surely? Unless he had something else in mind for the time being. Was it associated with that clone? "Come on, let us go for a walk. A proper one. I can smell that thing lurking about."

She had no idea what he was referring to. If it was something alive, however, she could kill it. Getting up, she followed him out of the building where night had fallen, and was struck by that smell again. A smell that, to her, was something unpleasant. Geto had spoken of it like an elixir, and when she saw Sukuna's nose twitch, she wondered what he smelled.

"Geto referred to having the blood of a banker that told him no." Kei told Sukuna. He also told her he had her killed, but that he regretted it after finding out the quality of the blood. She did not want Geto violently decapitated or torn apart, so she did not tell Sukuna that. "It was meant to be something alluring, I believe, but I find the smell unpleasant. It reminds me of opium."

"So that is its impact on hybrids? I should have Mei get a whiff and see if she also gets nauseous."

It was odd that the smell was lurking on the streets. More importantly, why was she able to smell it? Was he testing it on the public? To test its properties or something else? Was it even intentional?

"What does it smell like to you?" She felt she had to ask.

"Home."

Notes:

THE STORIES UNITE TOGETHER!
Also Kei is choosing to be a menace right now to hide her emotions. Otherwise she might start wanting to cry again and her special talent is not acknowledging her emotions.
Also Kei telling Mei to bully Gojo and Mei doing just that. It's what he deserves. What he has worked for.
Things that annoy Kei about Sukuna: the fact that he is tolerant to most things that vampires should be intolerant to including blood cravings, silver, being invited into places, and sunlight. This offends her.

Chapter 21

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"That was the most vague and unhelpful description I have come across, I am docking your pay."

"You do not pay me to tolerate your existence." Was his flat toned response as they both went about the streets trying to locate the source of the scent.

"I pay you in my top tier quality blood."

"Oh no, how will I ever survive without it."

"Very well, you do not get any more-,"

"I do actually like it, don't dock my blood pay."

Kei felt like a sniffer dog tracking such an unpleasant odour. She could suppose that it smelled almost sweet on its own, but her experiences of opium was in it being smoked with tobacco, or concentrated into morphine for surgery. Without the strong background odours, it was light. Airy, like a faint perfume.

Poppy, in the end.

"Perhaps I do not actually dislike the smell, I just dislike what comes with it." Poppies were her favourite flower, it was a shame that they were often associated with drugs and death. Poppies springing up blood red on battlefields, the delicate flutter of white flowers in meadows, that hair pin that she never wore.

"Good to know that your dislike outweighs any addiction you might have."

"Well, it did make the blood-free diet easier."

Under that faintly floral odour was another scent that she knew well. Like her own, it was something muted, neither sweet nor bitter. She would probably get a very confused expression if she described it as taro.

"Geto was here." Sukuna said it before her. Looking up, she could tell almost exactly where he had been, and it appeared as though they just missed him. There was a sour twang of burning in the air; a fresh death.

Sukuna was already on the top of the four storey parking lot while she walked through each floor, trying to assess the situation. Many familiar scents, and many unfamiliar ones, she lingered at the red door leading into the basement. That was a smell that stayed firmly in place.

"I am entering." She called out, stepping in as she opened the door.

"Well, this certainly makes things quicker." Mei-Mei was leaning against a concrete pillar smoking a cigarette, all sharp angles and boredom. "What brought your sorry self this far out of your den, Kei?"

She could see Nanami too. Not inclined to involve himself often in Mei's activities, she could only assume he was here in association with his club, and judging by the beaten vampires tied up on the ground, she was in the middle of something.

She could see blood splattered on the ground. Some of it had the specific scent of Gojo.

"I guess the Dog was here too."

"You just missed him. A shame, there was such a perfect opportunity to harass him. I did my best by your orders."

"This is why you are loved, Mei." A pause as she blew out smoke. She dropped the remaining cigarette and snubbed it on the ground. It was Nanami that spoke next.

"Why did you come here?"

"Truthfully, that horrible scent. The fool in the monk attire told me he obtained it from a now-dead banker then tried to charm me with it."

"And were you charmed?"

"I was insulted by his audacity." She walked closer, casual. "Based on the reactions others have had to it, I worried that I may be walking in on a massacre, and was willing to neutralise the issue."

She glanced at the vampires tied up. If they were not scared before, they were terrified by her presence. One was trying to crawl away. She felt bad for them.

"What are their crimes?" With a sharp gesture of her head, she pointed out the one doing his best to escape. He was failing.

"Geto has my girls, I want information." She already knew many people had been butchered at his club, but Geto had taken some people as well? That was concerning.

"It is unlikely they are still human, or in good condition as vampires. Are you sure you wish to see them in that state?" His frown only deepened. Her words were the last thing he wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Geto was a sadist, and had stated on his own that vampires and humans were equal beneath him.

"If that is the case, I have all the more reason to see them." Arms crossed, she listened into the basement. She doubted she would hear Sukuna if he was around; he made it clear on many occasions that she only heard him when he wanted to her to hear.

"I can try and be lovely and see if I can get any information out of him, but I cannot promise anything."

"It seems you will be providing better luck than us here." Mei kicked one of the cowering men away with the toe of her shoe. "Between Geto and Sukuna, you sure are charming your way to the front again. I half want to be involved."

"Do not, it is a headache and everyone is troublesome." She walked towards the man trying to flee, and knelt down in front of him. He was whimpering behind the cloth. Was she truly so terrifying? Nothing compared to Sukuna. She tugged the cloth away from his mouth.

"Please don't kill me." Was the first thing out of his mouth.

"I am not going to do that." She said. "I just want to know what you know."

"Nothing, I swear I know nothing about the girls!"

"I believe you. That is not what I was asking, though."

He had nothing of value to her, nor to Nanami. There was no point in tormenting him. She knew that torture never gathered useful information, but the hope of escaping was a valuable treat to offer. Plus she never cared for torture, unless she was intending to hurt someone she hated.

"I will contact you if I find out anything from Geto." Back upright, she mused on what to do next. "Why was Gojo here?"

"He was taking his new beau for a walk. Beau? Mate, is more appropriate."

"That trash has a mate now? I feel pity for them."

"I do, too."

"If I do not see him before you, I beg of you to compensate for my lack of bullying by increasing your own. Send my regards by my old name too, his dementia riddled self might have the sense to remember me." Another moment passed by. "Geto suspects him firmly of betrayal. I tried to reason with him but he is who he is. Also tell him to answer his messages."

"That one sure is getting worse with his paranoia."

"It is his favourite hobby." She turned towards the exit, intending to see the top of the parking lot. "Try to have a decent life."

"Or a quick death."

Up the metal stairs she went, the stairs rattling below which each movement. Even if she cared to walk lightly, they would probably shake. She had no care for being quiet, she knew exactly who was at the top. His baleful aura was something she was slowly learning to identify, but only when he wanted to be felt.

It was unsettling to know that he could be invisible to the senses and she only ever knew where he was because he wanted it.

He was lingering at the edge, looking down, when he came into view.

"No, stop, please, think of your family." She announced plainly as she walked up to him.

"I wish it was this easy." He stood upright. "He was standing here. Even opening the vial would produce a strong scent." No blood was spilled on the roof, nothing on the walls either. Looking down, she could see the stain of a vampire that had been butchered almost directly below.

"You think he jumped down here and killed them?"

"I think he was already down there and then killed the feeble pest. It was probably drawn to the scent."

"I am surprised it was the only one." He jumped down, a heavy thud announcing his landing. She followed soon after. There was nothing left to note. "I smelled Gojo down in the basement. He may have been baiting him, Geto has been indicating a feeling of betrayal recently."

"Half his miserable life is feeling like he is being betrayed by the consequence of his actions. The behaviour of a child." Despite the fact that she often declared the same, it felt worse hearing it from him.

"Nanami was also down there." It was a strange thing to see his expression freeze. Why would something like that catch his attention? "...Interrogating Geto's lower men; apparently eight of his girls were snatched by Geto and he wants them back. He is… protective."

"Any of them his mate?"

"No, nothing like that. They are all human. He just cares about others a lot. It's a rare thing to have." Which was another reason Geto wanted to torment it out of him. "I told him I might try and pry some information out of Geto with my lovely personality."

"People are going to start assuming you are converting to his cult. By people, I mean Choso."

"I would ask Choso to look into it, but with clones going about doing his bidding…"

"He would rather do that than hear that you are going on another date. I am inclined to agree. If he grabs you a second time, he will make sure to keep you, and I would loath to have our game ruined early."

There was nothing else to be gathered from the investigation, retreating as they did to the underground. The switch from Sukuna to Yuji left a sour taste in the back of her throat, she did not look his way and focused on the tracks in front of her as the carriage was dragged forward. It was a different person running the tracks this time. She hoped Junko was well.

Choso looked relieved to see them both. It dropped slightly at the sight of the cloak.

"Sukuna had it rescued." She answered.

"I'm glad, I know it was important to you." Kei stared for the longest time before looking away. Then Yuji-Sukuna spoke.

"Nanami's upset Geto's got some of his workers."

"Shush."

"Kei's thinking of going on a second date with him to get information out of him." And like that, his relief dropped entirely.

"Kei-,"

"I know." He did not speak immediately, then let out a steady sigh.

"I need to hand in my resignation anyway. Let me help for once, Kei." She did not want his help, she did not need it, but there was a reason she was never able to fully push Choso away, and that was because of his incredibly stubborn nature.

One had to be stubborn to exist as long as they did.

It did not mean she was happy.

"Do what you wish." She hoped he did not meet his clone. She hoped he did not meet Geto. The only thing she hoped for was that he would come back.

Small wishes that were so easy to lose.

She took off the cloak, folding it as she returned to her room. Yuji-Sukuna followed her, lingering too close. It had given the impression of a puppy when it was Yuji, but with Sukuna she could only think of stalking prey. That was what you were to him, in the end. In such a small space, it felt more potent.

"Your bedroom is the smallest space."

"I used to have a larger room, but I would spend all my time in there. It was… exhausting doing anything back then, so I made the room smaller to force myself out of it. Now it is simple habit." He nodded to himself. He was thinking, he was always thinking. "I will not let Choso into that place if I can avoid it, I do not trust Geto with his safety."

"Do you trust him with his safety?" She wanted to bite. "Of course not. You said you do not care for obsessive and possessive behaviours and yet you display it so well. Are you sure Choso is not your mate?"

That offensive, sharp tone. Judging her actions. Eyes bleeding red in bright light.

It upset her because he was telling her something she did not like.

He was right, she did not trust Choso with his own safety. How could she? Trust was something that was very difficult to maintain in her, and the distrust worsened over time.

"He is not." Sometimes she wished he was, so it would be easier to understand the mess that was their relationship. "I wish I did trust him."

He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. What was he thinking? It was a question she was always asking. Even if she asked, she was never certain of the truth. That much was obvious. At least her trust issues were consistent.

"All the more pity to you."

Notes:

Synchronising again. Wanting to have that other date with Geto, but gotta be real here that would be a dangerous idea. Sukuna definitely isn't jealous and that's why he's refusing the idea.

Chapter 22

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Come back alive." She told him, lingering too close as she wrapped a scarf around his neck. He did not need it, he never got cold, but she did it anyway. It was a nice deep purple, but made him look even paler. He always looked a little too pale even by the standards of vampires.

"I will come back."

"Alive."

"Alive." She wanted to believe him. She truly did, and yet it felt like she was marching him to his death. Why did it feel like a goodbye as he stepped through the door and disappeared down the corridor to the underground?

She listened until she could not hear him anymore.

Eso lingered close by as she stood at the door. She could tell he wanted to say something, but changed his mind midway through.

Waiting was always the most difficult part of a task. Sitting, brooding, and having no idea what was happening on the other side. She found herself cleaning things that she had not cleaned in a long time, scrubbing down floors and walls, wiping dust off the tops of shelves, airing out bedding, cleaning the stove interior…

Hours had passed and the door remained shut.

Hours had passed and she was done cleaning and now she was back in her mind pacing over all the things that could go wrong, the things that had gone wrong already. She was visibly pacing as well. Kechizu and Yuji-Sukuna were watching her like cats observing a cat toy.

They would not be able to console her either. Even if she were told that Choso was fine, she would not believe it until she saw him for herself. She could see Yuji-Sukuna nod at Kechizu before standing up and looping an arm around her elbow.

"Another walk."

Outside again, the snow was only growing worse. She made an effort to wear something padded, but it was not waterproof and quickly started soaking through. She never had an interest in layering for warmth because she never felt the cold. She made sure to not feel it.

"I am definitely getting you a fur coat."

"Geto was offended by the title of sugar daddy, but you may claim it yet."

"What's the sugar then?"

"My charming nature."

"Not even a kiss, how cruel."

"You need to have better skills than that to get a kiss out of me."

"Oh, so they are on the table."

She never knew where he was leading her. She half hoped he would just walk her into Geto's space to confirm Choso as still alive, after all with him there he would be less inclined to accuse her of a date. For being so friendly with Geto, he seemed to dislike him a great deal. It was not something she could judge him for; she was not as fond of Geto as she used to be, and with every passing day came that heavy weight of what could be done about him.

Kei wanted to stop him, to save him. But even with Sukuna's help, she did not think that was something that could happen.

"Do you think Geto can be saved?" She could not see the path in front of her clearly. Freezing fog brought the world to the cusp of a white out, she could only see the vague shape of buildings which told her that she was in the central part of the city. That would make her stand out even more.

"Stopped, yes. Saved… no."

"I… think I am starting to agree."

"He is overdue in being dealt with." A dark statement, one that spiralled in her head. She was a coward, because she did not want to confront the conclusion that stopping him included a high risk in having to kill him.

She might have to kill her dear friend.

"Have you ever had to kill someone important to you before?" She should not have said it.

"That's one of your questions." The tone was sharp, punctured by silence as snow blinded her vision. She could barely see him; a silhouette in the snow lingering at her side. A dark blur, she could see his aura bleeding around him, bleeding black. "Yes."

"Any advice?"

"Don't look at their eyes."

It was a part of the city she had little reason to go to, but it was Geto's space. His main abode was there, and with it were all of his little followers. The whole district were his people. Minions taking blood or money. She was brought to the simply paved park directly in front of the main entrance. He had a red tori gates as the entrance. As though walking to a shrine, and he was the god. Kei had seen pictures of it before, but never seen it up close.

"Why are we here?" Would he push her into dealing with Geto upfront? No, it did not seem as though he would care for that.

"You have vampiric senses, you sniff around like the dog you are."

"Gojo is the dog here, not myself."

"Yes, yes, you're more foxy."

"Flirting, in this economy?"

"I want that kiss."

"Do not let Geto hear you."

"I especially want him to hear, right now. He's been harassing my bank, and trying to dominate me. I let it go because it was amusing to watch, but it is losing its comedy."

Kei suspected he would mess with the bank. Blood was power, and if he could reap as much as he could, then he would take full advantage of it. If he had any idea of the power Sukuna had, he would have been more cautious. It was odd to know that Sukuna was holding himself in a different skin. It was easy to forget that he was significantly more powerful than most. It was like seeing a picture of a wolf and thinking it was the same size as a husky. One only understood the difference when they were next to each other.

How long would he wear that skin? It was only a matter of time.

"You can smell out Choso, keep track of him." He cut off her thoughts, leaning a little too comfortably onto her, arm around shoulders. She wanted to pull the arm off.

She could sniff out Choso amongst the crowd of vague scents of those she did not recognise. He always had that scent of licorice about him. Licorice and mint. A sharp contrast to Sukuna, who's scent was warm. Another reason she would have connected the dots if Yuji and Sukuna were ever in the same space: the scent was the exact same. And that was not something that happened.

Except in the case of the clone. The clone had the same scent as Choso.

"Geto is making duplicates of people, which means he is growing people. It was suggested that he has plans to make a new species."

"Duplicates? That would explain a lot of things…" He did not elaborate. "Would be a shame for him to destroy this world. How dull that would be." A pause. "And yet, what interesting things there would be to fight."

"No guarantee on that."

"Yes, he might go for peaceful. How disgusting." Of course the destructive entity would find peace revolting. She did not believe it would be peaceful either. Something like that would immediately be wiped out by this world, unless he intended to reshape the whole world. Something impossible. He was full of impossible dreams. "Since you seem reluctant to save him, we should change the terms of the contract."

"Does the first letter of your name come before the Y?"

"No." He was resting his chin on her shoulder, staring at her. There was almost a pout on his face. A one thousand year old monstrosity pouting. "How about this- I will maintain the aspects of the deal that include protecting those you assign under your protection, and in turn I get you. It does not seem as though we have a year to play the name game."

"What would 'getting me' imply, exactly." Arms crossed. Assigning herself as under Sukuna was a suicide decision, but if it was a blood deal, that meant whoever she labelled as 'protect' was someone he was obligated to protect. An absolute assurance, knowing no one could beat him. It was an opportunity few would dismiss.

For her.

Why was he so determined to ensnare her? It made no sense to her. Was he a masochist? Was she indulging in his weird kinks? Or was he just bored? If he was bored, there were better ways to entertain.

Unless-

"I think you have already figured it out." That sly expression. Of course. "No, not just fucking."

"How charming."

"Though it would be nice."

"Tormenting you with blue balls sounds funnier."

"Trust me, I am suffering, please ease my agony with your heavily muscled thighs." She rolled her eyes at that, catching a scent of licorice closer to the exit. "I will not offer this option a second time."

"I am not refusing it. I just like clarification."

"Then we will talk about it in private. We are being watched." He got up, and she followed after him. So close to the exit, she did not want Choso to see that she was observing him, and she did not want Geto to establish a connection between Choso and herself. She could not be the one to have endangered him further.

There were more space heaters than usual in the underground. Even without them, it would still be warmer than above ground, the earth keeping the space warm. It only told her how bitterly cold it was.

It was starting to make sense, why Sukuna did not do anything to her despite her resistance, despite her having taken his title on many occasions. He could have, and would have, killed her at any point but especially when she connected the dots too early. The reason he would not destroy her.

"Since I am changing the deal, I have to ask. What is your name?"

"Begins with Y." His voice did not echo. It was muted. It was all quiet, so she knew no one would hear either of them. Was it his influence? He had clearly done it more than once, which was the reason that no one had heard the conversations before. How he was able to mute the senses. It was one of the many unsettling talents he had.

And yet…

"There are so many names that begin with Y…"

"You know this one." He paused, and turned to her. "So the deal is certain?"

"It is. We will sort out the details. I dislike vagueness." He nodded at that, satisfied in the way a cat catching a mouse was satisfied. With her suspicions, she felt it was a relief more than anything. Strange how she barely felt it at all. That faint tugging. She had no foundation to work with. Was it different because of what she was? Or was it just so faint because she was so used to suppressing any emotion? Then again, she had been drawn to him from the beginning. To helping him. That was not a natural response that came to her. She never brought people home unless she knew for certain who they were. She was softer with him, even when he went and took a stab at her back. Was this what it was? Why, then, were others so dreadful with it? It made no sense to her. He made no sense to her. "A name beginning with Y..."

She did not say it out loud, but there was something insulting about the answer having been in front of her all along. It was something she would not have suspected. Too obvious. With an exhausted sign, she answered.

"Yuji."

Notes:

Homie hitting you with that double whammy of 'haha you were fooled, I was Yuji all along'.
He really is just having the best time.

Chapter 23

Notes:

If you are reading this, then you may or may not know that I have edited all previous chapters into third person and made Kei a character rather than a reader. This is primarily because of the fact that I feel 'reader' is an inappropriate title for the vast amount of history I keep giving her. I hope you continue to enjoy this nonetheless. Witness me cry.

Chapter Text

The clock ticked down seconds which stretched into minutes into hours. The kitchen table became the base of Kei, sitting on the edge of a cheap plastic chair, elbow on the table, index finger drawing idly around the rim of a coffee cup, her head rested on her other hand. A replacement phone, retrieved by Yuji in the brief time he left their base, sat flat on the surface near her. It had the same number, old photographs and music preserved.

She was looking at nothing, eyes settled on the chair opposite her where Choso had sat earlier. It was an ugly red chair. Beyond the ticking, Kechizu had turned on the TV and was sat near it watching the news, legs crossed and crutches slumped at either side of him, Eso was sat next to him scrolling through his own phone.

The television was static in her ears, the vague filter of voices speaking. Kechizu was leaning forward, straining to hear more; a fire in the eastern district in a derelict storage garage had drawn his attention, increasing the volume of the television to hear more.

"-Police are investigating the scene now, and there are suspicions of foul play. No one was harmed in the-" The volume was turned down, Kechizu leaning back into the sofa, huffing, his dark hair flying into the air.

Yuji was spinning a coin over his knuckles, before it slipped into his hand and he dropped it onto the table with the palm of his hand.

"Is it possible that he is already dead?" Kei spoke, her voice level, quiet although not inaudible. Neither Eso nor Kechizu heard her, but Yuji did. He was not looking at her, lifting the coin onto its rim and pining it in place with his index finger. After a pause, he lifted his eyes.

"Yes."

Her expression did not change, forced flat. Many thoughts wandered through her mind. The one that lingered the strongest was that it had not been a necessary risk, that she had considered the operation to garner more information on what had happened to Nanami's workers. Fingers ran through her hair.

"If there is a god within the world, I suppose I must pray to them." A whisper. Kei did not believe in gods, and that if they were to exist then they were cruel or uncaring.

"Best not to waste energy. They are not listening."

The finger continued to draw shapes around the cup. The coffee inside had long since gone cold, Kei having not taken a single sip. There was no desire within her to have more energy, knowing that it would result in more pacing.

With no desire to move, no desire to read or write or to nap, Kei drifted into memories.

Memories of Choso, who she had spent eight hundred years of life with, a pock-marked life with long intervals of silence where both wondered if the other had survived the absence, relieved every time it turned out all was well, and life was carrying on.

It had been only a year after the incident of Choso's change into vampirism when she managed to escape her home and relocate him, attached to the stubborn scent of licorice and mint to sniff him out of the woods hiding in a cave with his two brothers. They had been chased out of the village and had wandered from one place to the next. The two brothers remained human, and Choso looked the youngest for he had been turned young. Eso looked to be the oldest brother, was strong of back and had been guarding the entrance willing to fight off anything that wandered too close. Choso was still too weak to come forth into daylight, the one encounter he had with daylight having been the day of his change.

Kei had been recognised immediately, and told them that she was sorry for having fled from them, and she wished to help Choso because he was a dear friend.

Kei had not been inclined to give her blood to anyone before that point, her mother having scolded her for the very notion, but Choso was starved and Kei wished to help. She had taken her whittling knife with her, and ripped open her hand, forcing him forward to stop the bleeding. To eat.

It was a strange reintroduction, and for a long time afterwards she stayed with the brothers, refusing to talk to her mother until she conceded and invited them into her home. Their time of wandering in the woods was, for a time, vanquished.

She stood up from the kitchen table, chair scratching across the wooden floor. Picking up her cup, she poured the contents down the drain before washing the cup.

There was nothing worse than waiting. Kei knew it terribly well, an unfortunate life made up almost entirely of spending years at a time waiting for the perfect opportunity, waiting and waiting until there was nothing left to wait for. The past twelve years had been a period of waiting, and she continued to wait even further still.

Those moments where she did not have to wait were rare, and gone in an instant. She had only been active for a mere six months after her last period of waiting. It had taken no effort at all, a miniscule amount, to wipe out the seven leaders. With her experience, her training, it felt like beating children in a fight; even when they sent forth their best fighters.

Glancing in the direction of Sukuna, no, Yuji, she wondered if it was how he felt. If his life was a constant battle against the boredom of waiting until something interesting occurred. He had lived as long, longer, than her at one thousand years. She wondered what few things kept him sane?

Sane, she thought, was the last word she would use to describe him. The experience of being deceived so thoroughly in the name of…

She remained uncertain of what he wanted from her.

"What is it you wish from me?" She asked him, compelling herself away from brooding thoughts on no contact from Choso despite eight hours having passed.

"Your companionship?"

"...Just that?" His eyes wandered to the two brothers. Kei tuned into the unusual tugging sensation that had often caught her attention before, a feeling she had dismissed at those times, but one that she latched onto then. If she stared hard, she could see thin tendrils of red.

Red, that colour so often linked with the doors, barriers, it felt only right that it was a barrier of red thread that divided the room. Thread? If she stared longer, it was not thread but-

"There is no need to look as hard as you are, as flattered as I am that you want to absorb every part of me, really riles me up."

"Enough of that." She scolded.

"What, it is true." He rolled into the seat, it creaking beneath him. He looked comical in the kitchen, he looked unsettling and out of place. "You are definitely the one for me, and I have no intentions of losing sight of you, or going easy on you. I think you could handle it. I think you would like it."

"...I would state that Yuji was correct in summarising you as exceptionally hormonal, but considering the fact that you are Yuji, I can only say that you were stating the truth."

"I know what I want, and what I want is you on my lap."

"I will proceed to mimic Gojo's inability to hear." His smirk dropped.

"I understand that you have a history with Geto, as insulting as that is to acknowledge, but what is your relation to Gojo. Do not be vague."

"As I have stated previously, I have engaged in many conflicts with them, as we frequently crossed paths when I was actively in pursuit of trouble. I did save his life once, and he saved my own. I find him to be a stubborn fool and loyal to the point of destruction." She crossed her arms. "However, when he is capable of combatting his own foolishness, he is a good soldier and can be intelligent. The… 1960s is the primary source of his current addictive personality. I will say no more on it, for it is not my business to explain his business."

"You would not describe him as a friend?"

"I am not inclined to associate that title with many."

"I am sure he will cry about it."

"I would be impressed if he could recall any information regarding myself at all."

There was a sharp noise in the air, directing her attention away from Sukuna. She could hear the television again, hear Eso tapping on his phone, and when she looked for the source of the sound, she found it in the form of her phone.

Picking it up, she unlocked it.

Kei had been hoping for a message from Choso, any indication that he was alive, but received no such blessing. The frown remained firmly on her face.

"The devil doth provide gifts galore in the form of a Dog. I had thought the phone would be too complicated for him to access. Too many numbers and buttons for his simple mind."

"You give a tragic backstory on why he cannot control himself then mock him for it."

"He would understand the necessity of such mockery after understanding how terribly long it has been since I attempted to contact him."

The text left her irritated.

It was what she would expect from Gojo.

Wyd? Let's meet :D

"...No, he certainly deserves every form of mockery that he is given, that fool of a man." She muttered, texting out her own response.

It is clear to see that you did not listen to the voice mail I delivered so graciously to you, easy to access so your mind would not have to strain too dearly in processing it. I will summarise: hi Dog, how you doing, let me know if Geto's butchered you, plz text back soon or I'll send my babygirl Choso after you, my dear friend Choso, best buddy, who knows how to shoot you. Kay bye don't forget to text xx.

She sent the message with a tap.

"Please, never write like that again, that is horrifying."

"That is the intended purpose, he will know to associate it with something abnormal and he may begin to use his remaining intellect to consider his next words carefully."

"...Right."

She sent another text, a location to a soba shop:

Let us meet here, Dog.

Chapter 24

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The strike had not been fully intentional, a burst of sudden, extreme emotion rare enough that even she was startled by it, and the expression must have been visible on her face, fury then confusion, as she processed her own actions.

The build up of many things buried over and over again overflowing into a simple and violent truth: Choso was dead and the killer was in front of her.

Silence stung the air like a snake's bite, the venom seeping out of her very skin.

Kei had a talent she was born with.

The ability to turn off anything. Emotions were a small feature, reactions to pain mediocre, allowing for her very skin and bones to be broken. If it was willed to not happen, it would not happen.

Her reaction, when reactions were so heavily suppressed, told her something else.

She had reached her limit.

Kei, beyond her fury, glaring down at the butcher, felt another emotion.

Remorse.

Remorse for many things, but as she clenched and unclenched her tightly held fist, so tight the knuckles bleached white, she willed herself to turn away from both the former banker and Gojo, to try, again and again, to bury sensations that had nowhere to go, for she had reached the surface and there was no earth left to cover the coffin. Forcing hands tightly clenched together, hearing her own finger bones crack under the pressure, the overwhelming pressure of emotions that could not be understood bleeding out of her.

Black.

An impossibly dangerous aura, not for its negative presence but for the fact that it could not be understood. She glared down at her food, sharp breathes forced through teeth, heart beat erratic trying to claw out of her chest and strangle Gojo itself.

She would not kill him. She could not, would not, kill him. Too fond of rabid dogs was she, being a rabid dog herself.

No one moved, not even Yuji who watched as intensely as any other. There was a pang of pity that bled through everything else. She never wanted her wrath to be targetted at those she cared about, and as careless as Gojo was, and as mean spirited as she was, she did care about him.

All the more pity that he had killed someone that mattered to her.

"It would be a… wise suggestion to depart for now. I am not of clear mind, and cannot trust my actions." It was the tamest way of explaining herself. "I will contact you, when I have relieved myself of my anger, and when I can trust myself to hear your justification for-," Something cracked. The poisonous aura was more than a presence, it was a weapon, and it had started to split the table. "Leave."

She did not see them go, but she did hear them go.

She sat in that space, leaning her head onto her hands, for minutes. She counted half an hour, all the while she was being observed. Whether it was Yuji or Sukuna was irrelevant, trying to bury over and over again, with failure.

An arm reached over her shoulders, and pulled her close. She had not realised she was crying, ugly tears that she tried to rub away, her face raw as she tried to turn off the reaction, to conceal as she had always done.

"I can destroy his bank account if you want." His attempt at comfort was futile, eight hundred years worth of emotions bled out and all he could do was hold her together and hope she did not break.

Kei drifted, Sukuna paying the shop and lifting Kei away.

Nothing worked the way it was meant to, a ghost piloting a corpse, Sukuna only mused that she seemed painfully fractured. An unnaturally twisted thing, that was only more unnatural in her own home. A stranger in her home, shadows darker, lights blinding, she looked nowhere and everywhere, and where Sukuna was lost, others understood.

She had reached her limit, and Choso was still missing.

Until Yuji told them what Gojo had revealed.

Kei did not look up, did not acknowledge the expressions, did not want to see. Her mind told her what she knew; she had sent Choso to his death, and she knew who the killer was. She had sent him to his killer, and was as responsible for his death as Gojo.

Such thoughts drifted through the surfaces of her thoughts until she could hear nothing but flies. The flies of dancing, gently fetid thoughts.

Eso had been putting on his coat, fully intending to do Gojo harm, and Kechizu started coming up with methods of doing him harm. He had managed to locate where Gojo was living when Kei spoke up.

"The way it was implied, C-," She could not even say his name, running a tongue over her lips. "He had been sent to kill him. He implied others engaged in combat, also, who he referred to as 'brothers'."

"Do you… think Choso switched with his clone?" Kechizu stared at Gojo's address, contemplating, brows furrowed. "It does sound like him, he probably wanted to take them home. You know him."

"Family first." It spilled out of Kei's lips, trembling.

"Yeah." Kechizu considered further. "If they were sent out to kill Gojo, then it was with the intentions of having them be killed. Geto probably decided they were too hazardous and indulged in destroying them. Choso would have gone knowing that he would die."

"But why?" She never understood why he did anything that he did. So cruel in his complications. "Why walk to his death, he promised he would come back."

"I don't know." Kechizu looked away, lifting himself out of the chair and bringing himself forward with his crutches. "I think it would be easier to hear this from Gojo himself. One thing remains true; Geto remains our main enemy."

Kei did not reach Nanami in person. She wanted to, some dark part of her demanding her punishment for her lack of thought, and to face his frustration in person, but Sukuna took her phone and texted Mei, telling her that Kei lost her connection.

Kei had never felt so disorientated and out of control. Too much was happening, she had lost any semblance of peace and drifted like a lost child in the tides of chaos where others were making plans she could only barely grasp onto.

The brothers had settled their plans onto the kitchen table, caffeine levels high and working all day and night, gathering what little they could through their own connections fused with Sukuna's own. Kei heard, and understood, that they were also trying to find out what happened to the girls, if only to make Choso's death seem less in vain.

She could not be deterred from contacting Nanami a second time, and Sukuna did not try.

Slowly, she was patching herself together, comprehending what she was experiencing with what she knew.

It was easier to break things down after the second day, and when she called Nanami, her voice had returned to its naturally flat tone.

"Nanami, some of your workers are alive, and some are dead. They remain human."

"...Thank you, Kei." There was a reluctance in his voice. "You sound tired."

"It has been a… difficult time for myself."

"Take it easy." Easy was rarely the path she took, but she nodded. Sukuna leaned on the wall opposite her, watching. He had been watching more than usual.

"I want to hurt Mr. Geto."

"I know you do. Leave it to me."

"We can make accidents happen."

"We have a plan of our own."

"...We can make accidents happen."

"I know you can. Do not."

"...I understand." Nanami had less violent ways of resolving problems, and for that Kei was thankful. It had helped her in the past.

"If you ever enter that state of mind again, contact me."

"I understand…. Thank you, Nanami."

"Goodbye."

"Farewell." Kei hung up, lingering in the lobby space with Sukuna, who had not blinked once throughout the duration of the phone call. "Nanami seems to have a plan, and I can confirm from experience that his plans are very… efficient."

"Good." He nodded, pulling away from the wall. "Also, kinda unrelated, but hearing you say 'we can make accidents happen' with that face was probably the hottest thing I have ever witnessed."

"Enough of that."

The matter of dealing with Satoru Gojo was more complicated. Kei had tackled the pandora's box of conflicting emotions into a logical conclusion that Gojo was not her enemy, the reassurances of Kechizu and Eso solidifying the belief that inflicting violence on him would provide no positive results, and ultimately would not avenge Choso as he was the wrong target.

Kechizu would come with her. He was determined to do it, wrapping himself up as tightly as possible, wearing the most expensive sunscreen. He would tether her in place if she cracked, although she was certain she would not crack again. Not at Gojo, at least.

The fountain outside had frozen in the cold, and it snowed heavily over the course of the two days. It snowed as they walked, and snowed as they settled on the wooden bench, it snowed as Kei rang Gojo's phone.

Avoiding a call, fearing what was expected, or perhaps simply busy as his life was half-chaos. He had separated from Geto, and Geto was inclined to cause him harm, or the banker who's name Kei could not recall despite the name tag she had worn for so long.

Kei sent a text.

Outside your abode.

I am not armed.

A perfectly reasonable way to describe the situation. She was outside, and she was not going to kill him with a weapon.

The text sent back was swift.

This is Max, we met before. I am answering because Satoru is scared you will kill him

Max, that was the woman's name. Max, who always sat on the right side of Mei-Mei, Max who wanted peace and seldom got it.

I have no intentions of killing or maiming him, I have drawn the conclusions necessary and intend to listen to his story. Kechizu is also present.

"Seems you properly scared the shit outta Gojo."

"I am consistent in my alluring terror."

I will open the door

"Excellent, let us hope that Gojo is not presently attempting to escape through the window." Kei stood up first, waiting for Kechizu to lift himself up, slower in the snow but still quick as they reached the lobby of the apartment complex.

It was neither a wealthy nor a poor region, a presence of being neglected in recent years with mail boxes at the front that did not close properly in some cases, and half of the boxes being unused. The floor was orange, the walls a warm caramel wood. There were elevators, a relief to Kechizu as they were not on the ground floor.

He leaned on the railing as the elevator shuddered upwards. Elevators more familiar to Kei than the smooth glide of the bank.

Sukuna would be lurking in the background, that much she was certain of. He had refused to have Kei out of his sight, and had attempted to join them. Kei had refused the option, certain that Max or Gojo had caught onto his scent and had an idea on who he was. When asked on why he had chosen to show to the conversation at all, the simple statement was that he did not like Gojo. He had made it clear, after, that if Kei decided she wished to do him harm that he would willingly engage without any thought.

The elevator dinged, Kechizu stepping ahead.

The floor carpet was a muted red, and had not been replaced in some time. Stains of brown suggested blood, the scent faint. Cigarette smoke hung stronger in the air, marching forward to the assigned door already open.

"We have returned, Max and Satoru." It was best, Kei thought, to not call him a dog that day. Although, she felt he had deserved it the most then. Taking off their shoes at the entrance, they stepped in, Kechizu already making his way to the black leather sofa to slump down, a clattering of noise.

Max stared the longest.

"That is the Kechizu I was referring to. He is the younger brother of Choso. Eso wanted to attend, however, he also wished to maim Satoru initially, so it was thought best to not bring him."

"Well, I am glad that Kechizu will not hurt him." Max, trying her best to smile.

"I can hurt him in other ways."

"He can hurt him in other ways." Kei repeated, sitting down next to Kechizu, who straightened up, filing through his rucksack. "However, we are not here to engage in violence. First, we require information on your end, and then provide what information we have unveiled on ours."

Gojo lurked, still on the edges, not quite running, but startled nonetheless. Max had already taken her seat opposite them, helping to organise the various scraps of paper Kechizu pulled out.

"Satoru, come here."

Notes:

If you do not know what happened, it is linked with ch 25 of MullerMilkshake's chapter although I tried to imply the event also. Also Sukuna gets it. He understands what he wants. His imprinting game is strong now that he's witnessed Kei experience emotions too like-

Chapter 25

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

All gathered in the sitting room, the tension was tight in the air, a coiling smoke that hung around them, almost visible.

"I will not apologise for punching you."

"I don't think you even know how to apologise."

"That would be something in which you would struggle to grasp." Kei answered, although she watched Gojo closely, noting a change in the way he carried himself. Alert, but not in the way a spike of blood would wake him. Something she had not seen in him for centuries. She squinted her eyes at him, assessing, watching him bristle under the gaze. "I have already stated I have no intentions of doing you harm. You appear… slightly more intelligent than usual. What occurred?"

He frowned, thinking.

"I… had some interactions with Max."

"I am not a grandmother, you can say 'fuck'."

"Yes, yes, I did that, but also other stuff."

"Either way, I hope that the results linger, you are better company when you are clear of thought." Incoherent words were pulled out of his throat, muttering. "So, explain the events around the death of Choso. Clearly."

The words came out slowly, strangled out of him, but both Kei and Kechizu listened closely. Listening about the conflict between Gojo and the three brothers, Kei mentioned the existence of the clones. From the descriptions given, Choso's clone resembled the real person the most. It was why he was able to switch places with him. It also meant the clone was still on the loose, and could still be an issue.

"So I might still have to fight him."

"Not necessarily. He will have realised, if he is anything like Choso, that he was being sent to his death, and that it was Geto that sent his brothers to die. More importantly, he will realise he is a tool created by Geto if he catches wind of his other self, which he will have by now." Kechizu leaned back, arms crossed, speaking for the first time. "We could weaponise him as an ally."

"It would involve less betrayal if, when confronted by him, we were outright with our intentions and what we knew."

"Agreed." He pondered further. "I still want to beat you with this stick, but ultimately Geto is my target." Kei glanced to the window, the slightest expression on her face. "You two have a plan?"

"Yes." Max cleared her throat. "Geto still wants to see me, in person. I am going to confront him, convince him that I've turned tailcoat to get access to his banking and drain them dry."

"Geto is not an easy person to convince."

"I know."

"He will do things that will traumatise you for centuries."

"I know." She glanced at Gojo, then back at Max. They had discussed it before, Kei considered, and it was upsetting Gojo more than he was posing. Pulling a breath in, Kei rested her elbows on her knees.

"I will assist any way I can, but I need to clarify something first." Index finger tapping on her knee, she willed herself to speak. "Geto has a fixation on me. Gojo can confirm."

"Yeah, he's nuts for her. You would think he had some sort of rejected bond."

"Not rejected." He visibly perked up at the statement, inching the slightest bit closer. "I was the individual that turned Suguru Geto, and he did bond to me, but I did not bond to him." She heard Gojo mutter a curse under his breath. "I am not a vampire, so I am aware now of the fact that is something I simply cannot experience, however at the time there were no vampires present in my life, and this court of rules that exists presently had not been made."

"...Just how old are you, Kei?"

"I was born 1293."

"Damn. You're old old." Gojo knew very little on Kei beyond what he had personally experienced, Kei being closed off on her life. Hearing her age, and hearing on how she turned Geto had him baffled, and thinking deeply on Geto's behaviour. Attached to a concerning degree, his behaviour had switched rapidly the moment Kei had left, a sharp decline where his personality was already becoming darker. Incidents shortly after the sixties had left their stain on him.

"Nonetheless, I stayed with him consistently throughout his life until recent times when certain… events resulted in my departure. I will not justify his behaviour, he needs to face the consequences of his actions and he will, but I will not deny that I have likely aggravated an existing decline. If he is to recover, he needs to be stopped."

She nodded to Kechizu, who took out a notebook, passing it to Max.

"I have written down all I could recall of his activities and objectives. Exploit it as needed to ensure he is captured." Max took it, tense, and started to flip through the notes. "When do you intend to take action?"

"He has… given me December 24th."

"It makes sense, that is his death day. I will send you something to assist."

"Thank you." Kei nodded before Kechizu spoke up again.

"When you retrieve the things you need to get to the bank, how sure are you that he won't know what you are up to? He could be watching his bank, or follow you." Max opened her mouth, but did not answer. Kechizu, drummed his fingers on his thigh, a habit of thinking. "Kei, if Geto is as obsessed with you as you have been hinting, why not exploit that yourself?"

Kei did not answer immediately. The answer was, truthfully, that Sukuna would be upset and she disliked the idea of hurting Geto more than necessary.

"If you intend to go to the bank the same day, I could distract him while you access those accounts." Max made an 'oh' sound, before jolting upright, startling Gojo who had been leaning on her. Half sulking, he watched her retreat into the bedroom area. He glanced, briefly at Kechizu, hesitant.

"I'm… sorry for killing your brother."

"You're a vampire, you're going to kill at least one person you shouldn't have." It did not make him happy, but before he could protest Max was back in the room with a paper bag, handing it to Kei. A silky plum material was inside.

"If you are going to distract Geto with the bond, you should do it properly." Kei pulled the fabric out of the bag, revealing it to be a dress. It was not a modest dress either, not in a style Kei was inclined to wear.

"I do believe I am a touch too tall for this."

"More leg for him to gawk at."

"That is true." Kei rose, taking the dress with her, pressing it against her figure. It was wider in certain areas that Kei was not, Max being curvier than her along with shorter. "Do you have a sewing kit?"

"Why would I have a sewing kit?" Kei continued to stare at Gojo before he looked away. "In the bathroom."

Kei and Kechizu lingered longer than intended, going over the plan as Kei modified the dress to better suit herself. She walked Max through behaviours that would provoke Geto, and what would draw his attention. Gojo added his own commentary throughout, and as time ticked on the plan became more solid, and more imposing.

There was a certainty that Geto would see through everything and seek to destroy Max. It was useless to deny such things, especially as he was only truly pursuing Max as an objective in his plans. A plan B was discussed, primarily to get Max out of the complex she would be trapped in if Geto were to become aware of the level of deception.

"It is going to result in a fight, the moment he becomes aware of the fact you have deceived him. Gojo, he will also attack you. He is extremely unstable right now, and he will see you as the cause of his pain."

It hurt to tell Gojo, but it was the truth. They did not have a naturally created bond, theirs was shared in experience, but Gojo had been destructive for centuries and disregarding of his own safety and that had hurt Geto, and now the reverse had occurred; Geto was destructive and Gojo would be the one hurting. A darker part of herself said that it was overdue.

"Yeah." Was all he was able to say as Kei stood up, retreating to the bathroom and putting on the dress.

Kei kept herself modest and reserved, disliking clinging material. To wear the dress, which was so different from her usual attire, made her feel abnormally anxious. The bathroom light flickered, and she stilled. Anxiety was not natural to her, not unless she was being observed.

She was not alone, looking for his presence. She did not find it, but she knew he was there. How he was able to hide his presence so well was strange to her. No one else had reacted either. How long, she wondered, had he been listening?

She found him in her shadow. One shade too dark against all other shadows. A subtle means of observation. She stared at the shadow for a moment too long before nodding and leaving the bathroom. Sukuna was aware of the plan and did not appear actively hostile to it. How long that would last, she did not know.

"Holy shit, you actually have a figure?"

"Charming as always, Dog."

"Dog again, am I?"

"Is it not your name?" She moved from side to side, walking without care with the dress. Nothing did tear, and it flowed beautifully around her, airy. She felt like a spectre. "Do you think it shall work?"

"I think you're gonna end up killing him before anyone else."

"Well, my violence has always been quirky."

She had taken the dress off and carried it home in the bag, taking Kechizu's bag with her. The weather was worsening, both slipping on several occasions, and they were quick to retreat to the underground.

Kei reflected on the day she first met Geto, badly wounded all over and not long for the world, dark eyes staring at the setting sun, the sun he thought would be his last, when she passed by the village. She had intended to trade some produce, as she had done in the past, when she saw the state it was in. She had been looking for survivors, the snow thick and biting, a storm on its way, when she heard his shallow breathing as he lay on the cusp of the village end; just short of freedom. She had taken pity on him then, and given him the choice. A quick death, or a slow living.

She did not have a word for Geto's attachment and had attempted to wave him away on several occasions before submitting to the fact that he had formed a fixation on her. It was not until three hundred years later that an official term was given by the vampire court that was created, and she understood that Geto truly was in agony at every rejection. She made an effort to be kinder, then, and he latched onto it. It helped to stabilise darker thoughts. Kei could not deny that her absence had brought that violence back, and the unstable spiralling thoughts in her mind started to tug themselves to the surface once more; like bloated corpses in a river.

"What was Geto like before all this?" Kechizu asked as they awaited the train. She had kept her life separate from Geto and Gojo. She was certain, on reflection, that it must have hurt them to know so little about her, to have her close herself off, barely knowing a thing about her. Geto more than Gojo, who had no bond to feel rejection from. No matter how kind she tried to be, Geto would always be aware of the fact that she was hiding things from him where he exposed everything. She would tell him, she decided, if he asked.

"Kind." She answered.

Notes:

THE LORE.

Chapter 26

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

He had felt a crushing nausea consume him in an instant, the world tilted sharply left, thrusting him into the corridor wall, fumbling half blind to protect his skull as he slammed into the ground. It had caught him by such surprise, one puncturing sensation followed by a second, then a third.

In that moment, he understood two things.

The first was that his brothers were dead.

The second was that there had been a third brother he knew nothing about.

People moved around him, vague and hazy shapes in the complex, too trapped in their own worlds to notice his plight. Half blind with pain, he reached blindly along the wall, forcing himself upright, leaning against it until the physical agony subsided.

It did not subside against the panic that quickly flooded through his veins, trying to process what had happened. What had he missed? As far as he knew, his brothers were safely in the lower parts of the complex. He had returned from the odd tasks he had been pushed into, unfamiliar to him and entirely mundane but reserved under his name, and was in pursuit of them. He had been pondering the entire time, why his name existed on such records before he existed, and had intended to bring up his concerns to his brothers.

In a rush, he moved faster, towards their accommodation, to fight whatever had killed them, running on instinct more than knowledge of the maze-like complex, to the familiar scent of the closest thing they had to a home.

The cots were empty, all folded up and new bedding in place. Nothing of note lurked there, and there had been no recent activity in the windowless space.

'What happened?' The question bounced around in his head, over and over again, before his eyes tuned into an unfamiliar object on his pillow.

A folded up note on lined paper:

I will take your place.

He could only think of that third death that had taken him so violently by surprise. The secret third brother, who had died in his place.

With it came a single photograph, and every thought froze in his mind.

It was as though he had been thrown into an ice cold lake. It wretched the comfort out of every pore of his body, staring at the photograph.

In it were four people.

There was one figure, taller than all the others, built strongly and with jet black hair, eyes black, irises yellow. There was another figure, the smallest of the group, leaning on a cane, sharing a resemblance to the tallest with the same eyes and hair, the nose the same. He was grinning at the camera with crooked teeth, one fang larger than the others. Another figure, who resembled neither, stood completely straight, hair pinned back and frowning, dark eyes watching. Her presence was thick, even in the photograph, and left a crumbling anxiety in him, but what had him trapped the most was the final figure.

A man of no particular noteworthy appearance with dark hair and dark eyes, a half raised brow in heavy coat.

A man that looked exactly like him.

The longer he stared, the less he understood.

He was the only Choso to exist. He was certain of it. He had gained consciousness less than a year ago, grown in that terribly cold lab under constant probing and investigation, witnessing the torment of his brothers with feeble limbs and a mind too terribly aware.

To be given a body was his call to freedom; a chance to get them away from the clutches of that lab and closer to peace. He had seen that body being grown, known that it had none of the features of this man, that he developed of his own accord, that all of them had come from bodies grown in that lab designed solely to be used for them.

How had he not felt the presence of this brother? How had he been unaware?

He could not think, he could not think of anything at all, just that drumming question of who was this person?

He had barely processed his own mobility, a ghost exiting the complex with not a single glance his way. The question continued to dig at him, bring up curiousities that had been bothering him the entire day. Work that was left under his name from years ago, people that seemed to know him, patted his back like they were good friends and commented on his attire as being out of character. He had taken it all as a bizarre prank, but it did not leave, staring at the photograph the entire time, lost in the realisation that there had been someone before him, and it left him with another question. Who gave him the name Choso? He liked to believe that he picked it himself, his own decision, but if this Choso existed before him, then was it really his choice? How many of his decisions were his own?

He stopped in front of a warehouse by the harbour, startled by the distance he had walked, and startled further by the scents that curled around him.

He immediately identified his known enemy, Gojo, suppressing the snarl that wanted to gnash at the scent and rip it apart when the figure was not there to slaughter.

The other scents told him this was where his brothers were, the sharp twang of burning. He already knew they were dead, truly, and dragged himself into the warehouse. He wanted to know, had to know, what had happened.

Eso and Kechizu, those he knew. He could see the stains of ash where they had died, and it hit him harder than ever that they were dead, and he had failed to protect them. They had died, and he was alive.

They had died, and someone had taken his place.

He caught onto that scent, and found it familiar in a way that left him sick.

It was his own scent, he recognised, honing in on the still smoldering remains rested against the wall, could identify the figure by the parts of him that remained untouched by the flames.

Still dead, and he found that nauseous dread creeping deeper into his skull as he recognised the part of the face that remained as the figure in the photograph, and as himself.

There was something exceptionally unnerving about observing something that closely resembled what his own dead body would look like, a scrumpled up note left by his side, where his hand almost was.

A clue, he was sure, picking it up, dreading what he would find.

FIND KEI.

He had no idea who Kei was. It was not a message that was reserved for him, he was certain, but for someone else. Who? Why?

Gojo.

Why would this person leave a message for Gojo?

"Just what the hell is going on…" He stared at the name until the characters blurred together. Until he could not think at all, and then something happened.

That sharp pain in his skull, that forced him to look up.

The eye that had been staring at the ground, unfocused, was looking up at him.

The man was still alive.

A whistling sound escaped his throat, crumbling with the effort.

Choso knew he could do nothing to save him, that feeling alone hollowed him out, chewing through his fumbling words.

"Not… Gojo…" The voice, although torn and ragged, was even his own. "K-"

The words cut off, not a single answer given, and when that sharp sensation settled between his eyes he knew for certain that the man was truly dead.

With that silence came a different feeling, one that shook him entirely.

A feeling that he knew the name Kei. And that he knew it was not a the true name of this person. And that this person was important.

The foreign feeling frightened him, it felt like his mind was being possessed, invisible hands slipping into his eye sockets, around his brain and squeezing. He stumbled away from the corpse of the man, running from the feeling as it took deeper hold of him still.

Memories that were not his own, twisting his mind in every direction, playing music with his torture as he tried to fight back against the invisible enemy, beating his own head against concrete to make the pain stop, to stop the flood of memories, to stop the knowledge, there was too much to know, it was too much, it was going to kill him, he was going to die-

Relief only came when he lost consciousness, slipping into darkness slumped against a street light half buried in the snow.

His mind was quiet, but he was not alone. He stood in the dark of his mind, staring at the man. He was wearing a heavy tan coat, dressed in tie with short cut hair and five o'clock shadow, hands in his pockets, cigarette in his mouth.

"Who are you?" He demanded of the man, demanding answers as the man stood, watching with calm eyes.

"I'm you."

When he awoke, his head was still pounding, and the sensation had not left. He barely had time to register a single thought, memories still crawling into dark places, but for the moment he could stand, staggering upright.

He could only understand two things.

If he was to get answers, he would need to find Kei.

And he knew where Kei was.

He wandered into the flower shop, and opened the red door into the underground.

He did not need an invite.

Choso had already been there before.

Notes:

Shorter chapter this time because other pov woooo

Chapter 27

Notes:

Thar will be sex in this chapter. I have put lines before the smash.

Chapter Text

Yuji was quick upon them once the door was opened, Kechizu carelessly half-tackled into the embrace, hanging limp in the edges of a clumsy forearm around his thin shoulders.

"How did it go?" Eso emerged from the living space, the cup he had been left with unmoved and untouched; no steam emerging from it.

"Max and Gojo are, at least for now, our allies." Kei started, attempting to wriggle out of Yuji's grasp, failing miserably. He did release Kechizu and immediately the arm latched tighter onto Kei, forcing her to remain in the hallway.

"Geto had sent the other Choso to kill them before, and this time as well, so he retaliated in defence but…" Kechizu glanced at Kei, still trapped. "I will tell you everything. Kei, you tell Yuji." A stiff nod came from her, watching the two brothers retreat to another part of the home.

A moment ticked by and Yuji did not let go.

"They are not present, there is no need to perform." Still he did not let go. "What is it that is upsetting you."

"You told me that you hadn't turned anyone."

"On account of the fact that I am not a vampire, I have not turned anyone. It was not a lie."

"Anyone else you have 'not turned'." She did not need to think hard, shaking her head.

"Tending to his needs was enough of a labour for me, I dared to not attempt again." With his chin on her shoulder, she wondered what expression he was making. "I did mean to deceive you at the time as I was upset, but it shant happen again. I have… learned to accept the circumstances."

"Make it sound so painful."

"Emotions are new, shiny, and very troublesome." She could hear him huff.

"That really is your favourite word."

"May I be released now?"

"No." Instead, he picked her up, with little effort needed, carrying her around like a precious toy. Accepting his obstinacy, she bent at the hip to remove her shoes, tossing them back into the hallway.

Yuji remained attached the entire day, raised brow from Kechizu and shrugged shoulder from Eso. She wondered if the disinterested responses were as a result of Sukuna's influence, or if it was a matter of having grown used to Yuji's clinging behaviour and seeing his behaviour as entirely normal as opposed to an escalation.

Eso was not opposed to the plan, but still disliked Gojo.

"An entirely reasonable conclusion to come to." Kei stated.

"Geto having a bond with you explains a lot, though."

"Pray tell." He considered for a moment.

"Well, even in the time I was there I noted that weird space he had in his office. It was like a shrine thing."

"...That is news to me." A shudder ran up her. He was in worse condition than she had anticipated. "I understood that he was in decline, which was why I permitted my blood to be sold frequently to him, but it appears as though it was not sufficient in easing his distress."

"If it makes you feel better, no one else would have known about it, I just know what you smell like." It did not make her feel better. Imprisonment would be an excruciating experience for him, having nothing to support him. She would have to contact someone to ensure his recovery was not hindered by his punishment. A daily visit, perhaps. She glanced at Yuji, who was staring at her. She wondered whether he was in her mind. It was difficult to tell, and difficult to ask.

"Just how far will you let Geto go to distract him?" He muttered into her ear as Kechizu and Eso started to dress to leave. Kechizu needed more blood, and Eso was running low, and they were going to travel to the bank before the plan went into action lest supplies be rapidly reduced, or the bank destroyed. Kei found it unlikely that the bank would be destroyed, it would be a guaranteed declaration of war against both herself and Sukuna, and as sure as she was that Geto would get into a conflict with Sukuna, she knew he would hesitate to bring her forth.

"Whatever is deemed necessary, I suppose."

His frown deepened, eyes brooding as Eso wrapped a scarf around his neck. She watched Sukuna's shadow clinging to Kechizu. An assurance, more to her, for their safety. They had made their mistake once, and it had cost Choso his life, there were no plans to allow mistakes to happen again. Yuji did not say it, but there was a certain belief that if she were to lose another of the brothers that bond be damned, Geto would be butchered by her own hand.

Silence loomed in the home, the pressure of Yuji still holding on a reminder of where his mood lay. Brooding, possessive, and childishly opposed to anything that may be given to another first. Pressed tightly against her, she let out a sigh.

"I have no intentions of fucking Geto."

"But he would have every intention of fucking you."

"Yes, he has certainly hinted at it on several occasions." Any sliver of what he could take from her, he would. She had dealt with possessive on many occasions, and had come out of it in a relatively decent state, although Geto had worsened in her absence.

He did not say it, half muttering the words, but she felt the movement of lips against her neck, and tapped at his hands still stuck at her waist.

"If we are to do this, let us not do it where Kechizu and Eso will think I am fucking their little brother."

"Even though I am very much not sixteen." She ruffled his hair, pink strands sticking upwards. The face changed, a miniscule amount, but enough to mature it. He looked like Sukuna, and yet not. She often mused on whether it was a transformation or a change in how he held his face.

She hardly had time to contemplate before she registered the change in scenery. It was not the office, but she could smell the office's undertones nearby.

Where the office was dark, looming and had far too many bones, this space was lighter. A wall of windows stripped with light pine wood, subtle privacy, told her that she was in the same spot. Where the office was oppressive, and the bank garish, this space felt warmer. There were several plants, and she could hear water running, turning her head to observe a water feature behind a bamboo wall, slate flooring giving way to a pond where koi fish did move.

She wandered about the place, almost childish herself in opening and closing doors, watching them slide shut, finding more hidden spaces and reading book titles.

That was another thing she had observed; where the office gave no implication of intelligence, being surrounded almost entirely by the remains of the dead, she was certain that there was a library's worth of knowledge in the main room alone.

In the strangest of ways, it reminded her of her own home if she had the energy to care for it. If she were to stand in open light and build a space of her own. No space wasted, every nook considered, every piece of decoration carefully considered, a space intended solely for her to live in.

"You like?"

"I love." He took her by the hand, guiding her to another room, the door carefully concealed behind the wooden wall, seams perfectly fitted into place. It was dark, for a moment, before light gradually illuminated the space.

A bedroom. She expected it, but stared nonetheless. It was not unnecessarily large, a space reserved for the bed and side tables, cream fabric headboard extended across the back wall. There were doors to another space to both her left and right.

The space smelled solely of Sukuna.

"I am suspicious of the fact that the lecherous Ryomen Sukuna does not appear to have brought a single partner into this space." He leaned in, and she was aware of the fact that he had already taken his hoodie off.

"This is a space to be Yuji, no need for performance here." That battle between the persona that was created over the centuries, and his true self that had to be buried to be protected. A tragedy Kei understood too well, Sora always hidden until there was no choice.

Sukuna had been vulnerable with her, starting their introduction with that part of him held so preciously close, and continued it despite everything. He was more Yuji than Sukuna around her. It was not something Kei could easily grasp at, but it left her with that quiet desire to stop being Kei. Just for a moment. She had slipped through the cracks often enough; a part neglected since the tragedy.

"I…" She struggled with the words. "Do not remember how to be me."

"Don't rush it." The coils of her technique started to loosen around her as he guided her to the bed, easing her trousers off her legs, smooth massaging movements along her thighs, as he pressed forward to kiss her.

Kei instinctively put her technique back up as her heartbeat picked up, anxiety creeping into her as hands slipped under her sweater, thumb pressed against her ribcage under her breast.

He was soft, every movement slow, giving time for her to pull away at any moment. He pulled away from her lips, away from her entirely, pulling his t-shirt from over his head, quickly removing his belt buckle, jeans hanging loose around his hips, shrugged down to his knees, kicked away from him. She pulled off her own sweater, face flushed at his stare, eyeing every part of her.

"I know I felt it, but wow." He was grinning, a smile like a satisfied cat, leaning back in to hook his forearm under her leg and lifting her fully onto the bed, under him. Kisses against her thigh, he lingered at her crotch before setting her leg on the bed, lifted up where the other was flat. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous." He kissed her, sweet.

"Good, I am too." She found it difficult to believe, but accepted it nonetheless as he kissed her neck, sweet turned aggressive as he ground against her, half juddering in the movement, untimed and inexperienced, and she tried to follow a beat that she was unfamiliar with. That grinding following wandering fingers unhooking her underwear, shimmying them off her legs, feeling the pressure of him against her tighter still. "You good?"

"Yeah." It came out breathy, a stutter slipping out of her as a thumb pressed into her clit, rubbing steady circles there.

He watched, fascinated by her expressions, wide eyed at her biting her lip, hand reaching to hide her expression.

"Don't hide from me." She did not answer in words, a near whimper spilling out of her as a finger pushed into her. "Fuck, I love that sound." He slipped in another finger, moving them slowly in her, rubbing against her. She struggled to follow the movement, hand pulling away from her face, reaching down, what for she did not know.

She was on the edge of an orgasm, breathing picking up. Never loud, always hesitant to make noise, but as she reached the cusp of the edge, he pulled his hand away, slipping out of her. She almost whined, hips lifting to follow him. He pressed his against her again, kissing the whine on her lips, dragging her hips forward, feeling him push into her. A slow movement that had her straining, gasping as he filled the space. She felt his groan more than heard it, the rumble in his chest as he settled there, still as she moved against the strange sensation, easing into her own movement. Slower than he wanted, but he dared to not move.

Slowly, he started to move, rocking his hips into her, sliding in and out, one hand groping at breast, the other pressed into the bedsheets, clenched into near fist, close to her cheek, feeling the heat of the blush. With him watching so close, she wanted to turn her face, tried to, but he stopped her.

"Too beautiful to hide." He kissed her again, and again, nipping at her cheek, before returning to her lips.

He was a selfish person, he concluded as he held her close, rocking with increased speed, overwhelmed by the presence of her against him, wanting more, hungering for it, teeth lingering near her neck. He wanted to bite again, to be inside her, burrowed into her more than she could possibly manage. More than he could manage. Her heavy breaths against his neck, her own hands straining to clutch tighter and tighter against his back, he could feel blunted nails digging in. He wanted them inside him, straining to not bite when she pressed against his neck, the scrape of teeth against his skin.

"Do it." He strained through his increased high. He wanted her to bite him, begging. His world went white when teeth punctured through the neck muscle, slamming into her, holding in place as he came inside her, her own hips clumsily pushing through her own orgasm, holding herself almost into a ball, trembling, shaking through it.

She lingered in place, breathing heavy, teeth still burrowed into his neck. He rubbed his hands along her back, an easing gesture. Her breathing started to ease, and she unclenched her jaw, vaguely aware of the blood oozing out of his neck before it healed. He kissed her head, falling back onto the bed, bringing her with him, settled on top.

"You're beautiful." He said, staring up at her, her hair flowing like water around her. She looked away, face still flushed, heart still drumming.

He would not deny it was for selfish reasons that he took her virginity, refusing to let Geto have any aspect of her, but he did not regret it. He wanted more, but as she rested against him, he decided holding her was more precious. To have her be human with him was the greatest fortune of all.

Chapter 28

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

December 24th came swift like night, swooping over as an owl in hunt of a frozen mouse. She had called Geto the night before. Normally, come his death anniversary, there were no interactions. Not since the incident. She would send something small, something that could be easily dismissed if he had not latched onto her scent so successfully. Normally something that reminded him of home, one of the sweets from the region still being crafted despite the decline in artisans. If she could not find someone, she would make it herself.

The call was a break from almost forty years of complete silence, although she would admit that perhaps he anticipated it more due to the last call and he had snatched up his phone before it had reached the second ring.

"Sor- Kei. Hello."

"...Greetings, Suguru." Kei was still in Yuji's home, having pulled out the dress, carefully modified to suit her better. "I shall be visiting."

"Wh- today?"

"It depends entirely on how long it takes for me to arrive at the location. Unless you so desire to send someone after myself."

"I do so desire." Yuji made a gagging gesture in the background, gesturing vomiting. "Where are you now?"

"Sukuna's blood bank." A moment ticked by. Unhappy, as he always was, at someone getting more attention from her than himself. Or realising that Max would be travelling the same way.

"What a coincidence. Manami is travelling by the area as we speak."

"I should be delighted to meet her. I shall see you soon, farewell." She hung up, lingering in place before directing her attention to the bag.

"Have a shower first. He will throw a tantrum if he gets a whiff of me on you." He was going through one of the side tables, pulling out one of the drawers and setting a slim package onto the bed, neatly tied up with ribbon. One of her perfumes was sat next to it. "If you are going to seduce him, do it properly."

Dressed outside the bank, standing with her arms crossed and hair half tied back, she looked a foreign object in the blatant cold of the world. The white fur coat, wrapped around her, was antique and carefully tended to. She intended to wear the dress, exposing more flesh than she was comfortable with, but did not wish to show everyone her skin. It was a relief to find it, and a comfort as crossed arms stroked the fur as she waited for the car to roll up.

She recognised the woman almost immediately. They were similar with their sharp eyes, but little else was shared among them. Manami stared, not a word amongst them, trying to assess Kei who's technique remained firmly in place. After another moment passed by, she stepped into the passenger seat, buckling herself in place.

The first thing she caught was the scent of Max. More importantly, the scent of Max in pain.

"Is Geto in the consistent habit of assaulting his former employees?" She asked, before glancing at the back seat. Two girls were sat there. She recognised them immediately. Mimiko and Nanako; two girls that Geto had rescued, an event associated with the incident. She had known them for a short while, had attempted to linger longer, but could not.

"What are you referring to?" Manami asked, her voice steady.

"I quite like Max. She is stubborn, and does not give up. Ever. That would be a second person he would have harmed of mine in recent years." The car started to move forward. She uncrossed her arms, setting them on her lap. "I suppose the question is also reserved for yourselves."

Manami did not answer, but Kei watched the slightest tension in her knuckles. The two girls did not express any degree of distress at the question:

"Geto's really nice to us." Nanako answered.

"You would know that if you were around." Mimiko muttered, intending to be quiet. Kei heard it nonetheless.

"You are correct, I would know more if I were more present." Kei could not deny her responsibility in Geto's breakdown, leaning further into the seat. She knew that she could not help him on his own. "He is… not well, is he?"

"He is not." Manami answered, sharp glance Kei's way. "You best take responsibility for him after this."

"I fully intend to." A sliver of her own technique disassembling. Whatever Manami saw, she believed.

Kei focused on the road ahead. Deception was not her natural talent, something she trained into herself but rusted with age and disinterest. Brutal honesty was her path, and when the car was parked in front of Geto's complex, it was with honesty that she would try, again, to reason with him as she distracted him, pulling herself out of the car.

The girls ran ahead. They had no reason to linger, but Manami stayed.

"You are not here to be friendly, are you?"

"I am, however I do have ulterior motives."

"To distract from what Max is doing?"

"More or less." Manami squinted at her. "He needs to experience the consequences of his behaviour, though I have no intentions of abandoning him to his plight. I never did."

"Then why did you?"

"You are imprinted on Geto, are you not?" Manami huffed at the change in topic, arms crossing.

"Am I that obvious?"

"No." Kei observed her. To see another left suffering for the complicated mess that was their relationship. No vampire over one hundred was free from criminal behaviour, certainly none were free from the layers of messy arguments and fights; Geto had been due regardless. "If you survive that long, he will likely be on his knees apologising to many individuals, yourself included."

"That is a sight I'd like to see."

"Let us hope, then." Kei nodded to Manami, before walking up the paved path towards the complex.

She was reminded, soon, of how Choso had passed through the very same doors before his death, posing as his other self. The sharp contrast from the biting chill of the outside to the warmth of the inside, all amber lights and dark oak floor, bit at her.

The lobby was designed with quiet luxury in mind. She noted similar traits to Sukuna's personal space, the indoor garden included. More similar than either would willingly admit, the heels clicked across the hall to the front desk.

She mused that it truly was similar to the bank, although the person at the front desk was more alert to her presence.

Naturally, Kei mused, for rumours had spread far enough that everyone was whispering on the blue-haired oni. No sword by her side, wrapped up in fur and silk, staring down at the secretary.

"Good tidings, I am present for Suguru Geto?"

"O-oh, yes, of course, upstairs you go!" The receptionist sounded terrified, gesturing to the elevators, daring to not move.

"I am grateful for your help." With a bow, Kei walked to the elevators and stepped inside.

There was an intercom inside the elevator. As the doors closed in front of her, Kei pressed it, listening to the sound of a doorbell. It clicked.

"I am here."

"Yes… you are." It clicked shut and the elevator started to lift up. Hearing Geto's voice was always nostalgic and almost always heavy. It came with responsibilities, it came with consequences. Kei understood she had little right to tell him to face his actions when she struggled to confront her own, and the ones with the most impact.

She wrapped her technique around her, stroking the fur of the coat until the doors did open again, taking off the coat and hanging it on her arm as she stepped forth. Although Geto had little interest in the matter of sweets, she still took the paper bag containing them with her, heels clicking along the corridor. He had not seen her yet, behind a closed door, but he would have found the sound unusual, willing steady breathes through her nose, easing the technique to allow emotions to trickle out; to appear genuine. To rely on acting.

She knocked on the door, and it opened immediately.

Kei was tall, taller than most, but Geto still managed to hang at a solid six foot, just barely above her in height. With the heels, she was equal in height, and that was the first thing he had realised. That she was wearing heels.

He froze, stagnated in surprise, seeing her in uncharacteristic fashion, in uncharacteristic loose hair and painted lip, wearing necklace of false pearls dined in red glass beads; the illusion of blood spilling from an open wound.

"I-," All that he was going to say vanished, unable to stop from gawking at her, from exposed shoulder to thigh, the slightest presence of chest, and he knew that the back was open and as he registered that, a violent possessiveness took firm hold, to conceal it from all others. "Come in, come in."

She did step in, and he shut the door behind her, fist clenched tight around the handle, warping the metal. Kei set the bag on the desk, eyes wandering about the space. She had heard rumours of cadavers and taxidermy animals; humans included. She saw no such thing in that space. She wondered if it was another scare tactic, from what she knew of Geto before the incident he found the butchery of animals repulsive and had been extremely reluctant to do harm to humans for the longest time; it was the reason why he attached himself to her blood beyond a reasonable amount of time.

She could hear him breathing, not something he would do willingly with his recent contempt of humans, trying to steady himself. He was still facing the door.

"All this work I have put into making myself a piece of eye candy, and you find the door to be more appealing."

"Please do not make fun of me, Sora. I do not wish to do anything untoward."

"What would you consider to be untoward?" She did not correct him on the name, seeing little point in it.

"You know what I am implying."

"I am." She leaned against the desk. "Would I be opposed?"

"You have been in the past."

"The past is irrelevant." She blinked and he was upon her, trapping her between himself and the desk. Up close, she could see the bags under his eyes.

"This is a cruel game you are playing." He looked on the cusp of mania. She could see reds in the whites of his eyes. He had not been consuming blood, something that had her frown. She had been sending the blood specifically to him.

"I am not that cruel. Your eyes are bloodshot, when was the last time you ate?" A hand, cautious, reached out for dried lips. Too long, in her opinion. He pressed into the hand, snatching the wrist to press it closer.

"I won't. It is all you give me, I won't lose it to something like this."

"Something like this is your own needs, Suguru."

"I can handle it." That stubborn nature of his, she sighed.

"Well, I am present now. Drink." She did not use an order, him staring bewildered at her face. Waiting for deception.

"You will… let me?"

"I have always allowed it when necessary." One of the few that she did tolerate biting her, if only for the fact that it was one of the few times she allowed for the open affection he needed at its extremes.

"I thought you were angry at me."

"I am concerned over you. You are smoking your allies down to the filters." He frowned, pulling away from her hand.

"You don't understand the situation."

"Unfortunately, I do. That is how I know that you will not listen to me even if I were to get on my knees and beg you to listen."

"Maybe I would."

"I know you would not." He did not protest. It was a destructive path he was marching down, she would have to wait until he had reached its end before trying to repair the damage. "Come here. I am not a sadistic person."

"You left in the seventies, it's been a sadistically long time for you to leave. I only saw glimmers of you in the news. Unlabelled blood and labelled sweets every year do not make up for your absence."

"You are right, and I am sorry for that." He stared, before leaning down and biting into her shoulder. He was cautious, anxious even, at first keeping himself at a distance as much as was possible, before pushing against her, wrapping arms around her, hands pressed against her bare back, blindly reaching for the warmth of familiar and wanted skin.

Kei wrapped an arm over his shoulder, stroking his hair. For a lack of what he needed to survive, the hair felt coarser than she remembered. Dry, almost hay-like. And he leaned further forward, she could feel its texture changing slowly, running fingers down the hair towards the nape of his neck, a shudder running up him. Anticipating, viciously sensitive to any comfort she would offer him no matter how small.

"Suguru." He tensed, entirely still, the sensation of drinking blood stopped. When she said his name, it was often a call to stop. His teeth remained in her neck, not pulling away, not wanting to pull away, wanting her to not say anything to make him retreat. "You have killed one of my friends, and have maimed another. For that, I should punish you."

She could almost feel his panic, that calculation on what he would need to do to escape punishment.

"On account of the fact that you are being incredibly foolish, and have been for some time, I will not, however, as others are seeking a more appropriate response. I do not wish to see you needlessly tormented, and I believe I have done enough harm to you as it is." He slowly released his teeth from her neck, but did not let go.

"Who- who did I kill?" He understood he had caused Max pain, had intended to. Once he comprehended the likelihood of her unhappiness at the action, he considered his excuses. Excuses that dried up the moment she spoke.

"He would have gone under the name of Choso. I will say, however, that this was not something you had known." As destructive as he was, he was not that destructive. "I do not know what Max's condition is. Only that she is in a great deal of pain, and that you have caused her great misfortune. That is why I have taken responsibility for some of her relief, including that kimono."

"Yes, I did see it. It… doesn't suit her."

"I thought it looked to be rather sweet on her."
"I suppose it suited in some way." Trying to appeal to her by switching his opinions rapidly. "Why is it that you are wearing her dress?"
"An outfit swap, I suppose you could assume, although I would more willingly call it a need to have you be more open with myself, and there is no better suited way of doing this than being more… open."

"Sora."

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Is that what you desire?"
"I desire so much."

"If it is what you wish for." Her blood still on his lips, he kissed her lips. It was starving, hungry, immediate and desperate and clumsy, clinging onto her; a drowning man with driftwood, half juddered movements against her hips, grinding against silk, lifting the fabric trying to get closer, holding onto anything he could when a doorbell noise forced him to pause.

He looked more ragged than when she had entered the space, a flush to him, more alive and more desperate in his appearance, he pulled away with anger, mood ruined by the interruption. Kei already suspected who would be on their way.

"I suspect it will be Gojo out for you, it has been due." She moved away from the desk, standing upright and pulling on the fur coat, wrapping it around her waist. Misery was on Geto's face, watching her adjust her hair, loosened further by his actions. She walked up to him, brushing down his hair. There was no need for it, it appeared well and healthier than it had done in decades. It allowed her to linger on him, another kiss to remove her blood from his lips.

"It will be violent."

"It will likely be the worst argument you have ever experienced from him so far. That was someone he was bonded to you did harm. Simply imagine how much violence you would react with if it were I who was harmed."

He did not have to imagine; he had responded in such a way in the past to her rare injuries. To the very implication of her harm. He knew it would be violent, he had wanted it to be so. To truly cause harm to both Max and Gojo. With a moment of clarity, he understood the damage he was causing. It was too late for him to stop, and when Kei truly stepped away, he found his resolve.

"There is a second set of stairs he will not know about. Take them." She nodded, making her escape.

As she walked through the quiet corridor, towards the exit, she wondered, as she always did, how long it would take to clean up the mess of this conflict.

Notes:

Geto: realises he's being a hurricane, acknowledges the mess, and keeps going anyway.

Chapter 29

Notes:

Smut or near smut at the beginning of this, separated by lines as usual.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sukuna understood one thing about Kei, and that she was cruel.

Her tongue as sharp as her eyes, all jagged edges and mean words, venom dripped from every syllable and dripped onto his lap with a vicious heat that sizzled and stung through fabric, digging deep into skin and burrowing into muscle, his very nerves set alight and trying to stretch out onto the surface just to get a flicker of the taste of flesh.

There was no curing the bond between Kei and Suguru, and he could not even mock him as a dog and a fool for he stretched out at every opportunity the same way he did. Both desperate for a woman who was either fully ignorant of her destructive nature, or fully aware and masochistic in her taunting; pushing the boundaries into sadism.

He had been biting at his own boundaries, trying to gnash through them with grinding alone, wishing he was grinding on flesh, on bone, on her throat that glinted so beautifully against plastic pearl and red glass beads, swearing he would buy her something of real pearl and ruby, already having bought it before she took her wicked self away to charm another man.

Clinging to her shadow, he watched it all, shaking, forehead slammed into his hand, thumb pressed into eyelid, all efforts buried into the task of snatching her away, locking her away in a cage and doing away with that dress, snaring her like a snake.

Suguru got to touch her, but he did not fuck her. That was his, and he would kill to keep it that way. It did not mean he did not feel the sting of violence seep forth knowing that she was letting Suguru rut against her like a deprived dog. What agony it must have been for him to be so thoroughly deprived of his obsession and still not reach satisfaction, clinging too tight onto what was not his, swearing he would make it so. If that chamber where the rest of him rumbled as he witnessed his foolish groping, then he was ignorant to it until volcanic activity was noted days later.

He needed no car to reach her when it was all done, bleeding into shadows and latching on, a parasitic beast needy and sinking fangs carelessly into neck, hands too tight around hair strands held clumsily in place, other clutching at her hip. The fabric was too smooth against his hand, slipping out of his grip, but he could feel the raw muscle of her underneath. He needed to feel it more.

"Hello, Sukuna." That wicked voice of hers, barely registered as he lifted her into his arms, blood dripping briefly from her neck onto the collar of his shirt; too tight around his neck. Before she could say anymore, they stepped back into his office.

She was almost startled, looking around, before frowning down at him. No lipstick, but her lips did glisten still with the slightest twang of blood; something Suguru had taken from her. He lowered her onto the desk top, shoving his work carelessly away. It hardly mattered to him, what mattered the most was seeing her and overlaying what her pathetic pup had done.

He would not hurt her, unclipping the necklace and tossing it aside. It was rubbish, nothing worth keeping. He would drown her in jewels if it was what she demanded, pushing himself forward, into her space, gently despite his hunger in kissing her, arms encasing her by either side, slowly slipping around to fully surround her.

Despite his nature, he never truly cared for kissing people. A useless gesture of affection and thus something he had little experience in, clumsy in his attempt and feeling rarely bashful for it, letting her take charge and wrap her arms around him, easing the coat off his shoulders. It dropped at his elbows and he pulled away to shake it off, fumbling with his necktie and flinging it aside.

He felt too crowded, too tight in his own skin, ramming back against her, pressing into every crevice, aura bleeding into pores to taste as much of her as he could; while she ceased her torment long enough to let him cling on.

She was slipping out of her performance, the satisfaction of that alone would ride with him for days, breathing shaky and heart drumming, he brought his arms closer to her thighs, drifting fingers along the dress. The wretched thing, fingers dug into the fabric, ready to tear when her hands pulled away and pressed against his own hands, her face scolding.

"No."

"You are cruel."

"I am." He did not want to let go, holding as tightly as he could against her as she moved, graceful as any panther, and dragged the fabric up over her thighs, exposing the rarely seen flesh underneath. He could barely breathe at all, struggling to pull away, half drunk on that sight alone.

How pitiful that he could be broken in such a way.

"Take it all off."

"Please."

"Please." He would beg if she demanded it off him, and he half expected her to. Even the casual gesture of taking the gloves off her hands was agony. She had that cold calculation in her eyes, but she took a rare pity on him, slipping fingers under the straps of the dress, rolling them over shoulders, slow and teasing, before, ever so slowly, dragging the plum silk down.

He watched with painful anticipation as it lifted up, slightly, over the swell of her breasts, tugging slightly at nipple before descending down ribcage, stomach, then hanging half hazardously at her hips, a swagger to her as it dragging teasingly behind her, walking towards him, and he was trapped in place.

He had seen beautiful before, he had seen sexy before, had his fair share of any woman and nothing about Kei's appearance was particularly original or overwhelming beyond the simple fact that it was her.

Her with her quiet raw strength, her lean arms and wide hips, her soft embraces, her gentle tones and the way she reached him and, with delicate fingers any pianist would be jealous of, started undoing the buttons of his shirt.

He felt fresh and new, practically trembling as the tips of her fingers barely drifted along bare skin, the smooth movement of her thumb dragging along indents in his abdomen, a butterfly touch drifting downwards, the hair static, stinging as it settled just above his trousers, forgetting that he did not need to breathe, and forgetting how to breathe at all, almost gasping.

"You are magnificent." She told him.

"I love you" He told her, the words straining out of him like air out of a punctured lung.

As she opened her mouth, he was certain to answer in turn, a tune started to play out. Her phone, buzzing. Her fingers lingered, still settled on him, before drawing away to answer the phone with a huff. He could see 'Dog' on the screen.

"Speak." Gojo's voice on the other side, rushed and panicked. He had left Max alone to confront Geto and in that time Shoko had been seriously injured and Max was missing. Kei pulled away entirely listening to Gojo's words. Mood entirely ruined, Sukuna started pulling his shirt back on. Kei started hooking her dress back up. "Of course, I will arrive shortly. Farewell."

She hung up, putting the phone back into the coat's pocket.

"He will be reaching his worst soon enough."

"I would estimate within the next two weeks." Kei replied. A casual statement, both of them too old to deny the destructive nature of vampires. Overwhelming in modern times, with the volume of vampires, but entirely mundane to those their age.

"I will hold down anchor here. If any of them seek a fight here, though, I will maim."

"Please endeavour to warn them in advance, they are inclined to believe themselves the most powerful."

"Perhaps I shall unleash my technique on them. You were stronger than most and you still flinched."

"Perhaps that will knock just enough sense into their skulls that they will consider the fact that they are not immortal."

"I will be in your shadow." A comfort where once it was a threat. A promise of a shield, of not confronting it all alone. Kei wondered when it had felt kind to her. She did not linger on the thought longer, pulling on the fur coat and leaving promptly.

Gojo was a mess of venom and anger, pacing like a tiger in a cage when she stepped into the apartment. Shoko was conscious, at least, and treating her own injury; little point in trusting Gojo with such things as he had little skill for it and was too driven by emotion to focus on the task. Kei handed him a nearby plant to hold, stopping him in place.

"I am going to kill him, I am actually going to kill him."

"Let us focus on the task at hand." He did not, the promises to butcher Geto ringing in her ears as she analysed the space. The blood. Most of it was not Max's, but there was enough to understand Gojo's panic. Kneeling down, she observed a footprint in the carpet. Not the size of Geto's shoes. A minion of his, then, and a strong one at that. "Shoko, can you recall anything about our perpetrator?"

With the description given, Gojo answered:

"Miguel."

"Familiar with him?"

"He is one of Geto's commanders and a right bitch to fight." She slowly stood up. He was still tense, bouncing in anticipation of a fight; any way to alleviate the emotions. It was a familiar response from him. Like running low from a blood high, although she would confess to nothing addictive in his behaviour. "I'm going to go. I'm going to deal with him."

"Emotional responses will only endanger the situation more. Our primary objective is to locate Max and remove her from the situation-,"

"You wouldn't be so calm if this was someone you gave a shit about." She let the response hang in the air.

"Our primary objective is to locate Max and remove her from the situation. Violently assaulting Miguel, or Geto, without this information will condemn her."

"She's right, you're a shit fighter when you're pissed."

"Can't be doing with this right now, Shoko."

"If you confront anyone as you are at the moment, you will lose. I understand you want to do something, but you cannot think rationally on the matter. Leave this to us." He bit at his lips, huffed and puffed, and had threatened to unleash his technique, before all fight left him, and he dropped on the sofa.

He understood it. He could smell nothing, and would not be able to trace Max as anxious as he was. He wanted to tear at anything in his way, even if he did not know if it would kill Max. He could not turn off his emotions the way Kei could, could not separate himself from the situation. He loathed the sensation of helplessness.

"Max will be found, and quickly." Kei made it sound like a promise, but did not say the word. Kei never made promises. "And I may punch Geto in the nose for you."

"Break it."

"I will endeavour to do so." It was strange to receive a hug from Kei. Something so rare, so foreign, that it stung to feel it. She was vampiric in many ways, human in others. Warm, that heart beat always steady, breathing always calm. Warm, and all he wanted was to scream. He was losing people dear to him again.

He was starting to understand how Geto had felt through all those years of chasing after him, trying to protect him from himself. He wished he had never known. He wished he had never been so carefree with his life.

"I'm starting to give a shit about things way too late."

"You are not even four hundred years old. You have plenty of time."

"Old hag."

"Caradog." She pulled away, standing up. "All of this will pass, and she shall be retrieved. That is a threat, as well as a promise."

He was inclined to believe her, watching her leave the apartment. If he had the strength to use his senses, he would have caught the twang of another figure following after her, having lingered at the door the entire conversation.

Notes:

Oh lord it be happening, elusive figures snooping in on conversations. Joked that because Gojo is a lil white boy, he has to have a lil white boy name that he abandoned (seeing as he was a witchfinder back in ye olde days) so I joked that 'dog' is a shortened version of his real name, which just so happens to be the Welsh name Caradog, which means 'beloved'. Ain't that neat.

Chapter 30

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It had been a ruthless autumn and many crops had failed due to a constant and heavy rain, the soil sodden and thick like clay. Transport was difficult, the cart having been abandoned long before the mountain pass, everything carried by back. Sora did not have much to carry, the weather had left her struggling as well, but unlike others she had other means of surviving if the harvest should fail.

It was how she found herself walking through the mountains with the weight of a man on her shoulders, bare foot with the hakama pushed up and tied around the knees to prevent the dirt from seeping in; although it caused damage to the pleats.

Sora knew the villagers, or had traded with a few. Theirs was an area isolated from the constant conflict, and had lost only a couple of men to the constant drumming of war. It meant more labourers. It meant more mouths to feed.

It had been late November by the time she reached the familiar path towards the isolated village. It had been snowing since early November and had not stopped since. The journey had worsened and she had been snowed in with a white out for three weeks, the snow piling up like mountains of their own. As she dug herself out of the cave that had been made her temporary home, she found the path more challenging to locate by eye; working blind, working with scent and sound alone.

No matter how she strained her ear, she could hear nothing. Snow muffled everything, she had learned from a young age, and it hid many things as well.

The path was difficult. She knew she was close to the village, still carrying the food she intended to give, however it was not for the sight of buildings for she could see no structures standing before her. Thatched roofs had caved in, and nothing had been cleared; the village was consumed by snow but she could quickly tell that it was not the snow, nor the crop failure, that had killed them.

She had caught its faint traces in the air, that faintly acidic odour of blood, and the twang of decay.

It had been early November when she had witnessed troops of soldiers passing her by the mountain side, although they did not travel in the way of the village, marching to the river southwards. They had seen her, and had swiftly looked away for she had a reputation as a blue-haired oni before that time, although they did not associate her clambering up the forested path with the legend. Merely her hair. She made sure it was hidden after that point, although no one else had crossed her path.

And yet the stench of a butchery clung to her nose, and for a moment she wondered whether she had been deceived. Treading down the path, she told herself that there need not be an official conflict in order to kill. She had come across many incidents in which samurai casually slaughtered peasants around them for looking at them the wrong way, or merely to sharpen their blades. There was no need to reason with how such things could happen. It could have been as simple as one side had lost and took their anger out on the easiest option.

Brushing snow away from the tumbled down buildings, she could see how terribly burnt they were. She could see the frozen remains of those she recognised, laying in the clothes they had been killed in. A mother shielding a child, a man wielding a shovel, the priest and shrine maidens had been huddled together in a ball at the steps to the shrine. A statue of the shrine guardian had been split in half, its head on the ground.

She counted the bodies.

The whole village gone. Where she did not find a face she recognised, she soon found it. They did not go far, few having even left their homes.

209 corpses all lined next to each other, unable to be buried for the ground was too hard. It did not stop her from trying, and it was a tedious effort even with her strength, the shovel struggling. She resorted to her hands, feeling like a dog hunting for prey.

Too shallow. She would have to return when the ground had thawed to bury them properly.

Food slung onto her back, pressing the chill of her straw cape against her, she stared at her work a moment longer before turning down the path towards the lake. Where the snow would be thinner, leading to the next village along. They would still need food, she mused, as she walked down.

It was down this path that the scent of blood still lingered. Fresher, even, and though no blood could be seen on the path, she was compelled to follow it. Someone that was not one of the villagers who had been caught in the frenzy of violence.

She wondered if it was one of the attackers, if one of the villagers had injured him or if he had been turned against. Turned against for refusing the crime, or for instigating it. Or other reasons. She could not tell, her fingers itching to the knife kept close to her side; hidden.

She heard him before she saw him, the faint whisper of a heart still beating, though so terribly faint. On the cusp of disappearing altogether.

Half buried, only an arm and his head stuck out of the snow, on the very edge of the lake with one foot set on the ice, the other having rotted into it. A slow way to go, and agonising. His eyes were shut, his breathing shallow, but somehow he was alive.

He was no samurai, either.

The priest from the other village. She recognised him as she had witnessed him from a distance. A friendly man, a kind one too, and a stubborn worker. He must have been trying to help the other village and had gotten into the crossfire, she mused. His injuries were newer than the villagers. He had, perhaps, been attempting to deal with the dead and had been attacked himself, and had attempted to flee to his home.

"Perhaps he slipped and has remained here since." She said out loud. His eyes opened the slightest, staring at nothing. "You will not survive long even if I were to take you out of the snow now; your foot has rotted off and you will freeze to death long before I find decent shelter."

He was trying to move. It was a miniscule, weak movement.

"Do not waste energy trying to free yourself now. I will give you two options and respect your decision. I give you a painless death now, and return your remains to your abode to be given their proper respect." A strangled noise came out of his throat. "Or I turn you into something that is no longer fully human, and you will live a long life. One that you may come to regret."

He was fighting to live. She understood it, but did not react immediately.

"If you wish for your suffering to end now, close your eyes. If you wish to live, and to continue to suffer, keep them open."

In the clearest sign he could have given her, he moved his head, as much as he was able, to stare at her. Dark eyes met darker eyes still, and asked her for help.

"Very well, I understand."

When she bit into his neck, all tension left his body and he was swiftly asleep. A foreign reaction, she would learn in her later years, as most responded in pain. Sora reflected that he was likely in so much pain by that point, that his body could take no more. She had taken his foot out of the ice, using her knife to cut above the rot, cleaning the fresh wound with fresher snow before wrapping it tight.

His ankle was twisted. His spine had been broken, set back in place by her hands, and there was a deep wound that had torn at his clothes and ripped open his back. The back wound would not have been enough to kill him, however if he had been running and had slipped and twisted his ankle, an already injured back being broken on the rocks would have trapped him in place. He would not have been able to move to escape. All he could have done was call out for him until his throat was sore, until he had no strength to do so anymore.

She tied the bag of food to her waist and carried the man on her back, the journey slow and painful. She would not take him back to his village, not until he had his first blood. It would break his heart if he were to learn that he had killed one of his own.

A nearby cave was their shelter. She was able to make a fire after several attempts, using it to dry her own clothes, using the cape as a temporary mattress for the wounded man. She kept him close enough to the fire, not wanting to strip him in order to dry him off. Going through her bag, she took out the pot. Outside she went, gathering snow. Into the pot it went, rummaging for herbs, scrap cloth being boiled with the herbs. His foot was her main worry.

She checked the wound every day, keeping close, eating through her food. She made sure he drank, though he remained unconscious, having to massage it down his throat. She never travelled far, only so far as to get sticks for a splint, to take remaining fabric from the village up the mountain, doing what little she could to keep him comfortable, though he remained unconscious.

Sora did not know a great deal on the matter of transforming humans into vampires. She had no true encounters with vampires, and all that she did was based on what little her mother had told her when she was present. She did not know how long it could take to turn someone, she did not know what to do if they did not transform right, she did not know what to do if they did transform right. She was composed, but internally she was frightened.

A noise escaped him, a rattling sound. She was close to him, watching over as he fumbled into consciousness, bleary now-yellow eyes searching the ceiling of the cave.

"It has been eight days." She told him immediately, eyes widening as he glanced at her, startled by her presence. "As I have told you, you are no longer fully human. You will need to consume blood in order to survive; the species is irrelevant, but human is preferred."

Better to tell him immediately, she decided, rather than have him suffering through a lack of understanding. He merely stared at her.

"As I am responsible for your well being, I will also provide my own blood. For at least the first week, you will need it as your body adapt to change." He nodded, a slow, sluggish movement. She offered her arm. "Bite down."

He did so without a second of hesitation. She had not understood it then, had little reason to acknowledge the immediate willingness with later hesitation, but he had imprinted on her. It had been easy to give the order, concluding that if he did not do it he would die quickly. It had been the only time she had ordered him.

She did feel a twang of guilt as tears welled up in his eyes as he drank. When he released, it was with pain in his eyes.

Her wound quickly healed over, and she glanced to his foot. The stump was healing, although the skin was a different colour; paler.

"What is your name?" She asked him at last. He stared, always staring. Bewildered by his new world.

"Suguru. Suguru Geto."

"You may call me Sora. We will return to your village tomorrow, and I will give my remaining supplies to them. It has been a dreadful year."

She had intended to leave him at the village, the villagers grateful for what little food she could offer and the return of their priest who told of what he had experienced. She lingered nearby and was soon on the path again.

He followed her.

She had not known why, had not known that he would not be able to stop, and kept walking. He struggled to catch up, willing her to stop. He was too new, too fresh, he did not know what he was doing, he declared in a panicked frenzy. Like a cat abandoned by the road.

She stayed that winter. And the next winter. And the one after that. He did not drink any blood but her own, and she soon realised how out of her depth she was.

It was not until a three decades later, across the sea and wandering a different country with him still trailing after, that she learned that the word was 'imprinted'.

Notes:

And on the 24th day, the day of Suguru's death/vampire anniversary, I did write a chapter set in the past upon that fateful day.

Chapter 31

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Kei tuned into familiar footsteps and knew she was being followed, but kept her walk normal and eyes focused forward. Trailing after the ghostly scent of Max; one that Gojo could not follow in his state. She already knew that he would not be able to sit still, that if he was not pacing then he would do something else to cope, and it would be violent.

It was his nature more than Geto's. A witch hunter, then a vampire hunter, his earliest years were that of violence and it came easily to him; like a second skin. He had never sworn off the habit, and she doubted he ever would. No matter how dissatisfying it turned out to be.

It was the harbour that caught her off guard.

The scent of the sea was one that she preferred, the salty twang, the cries of seagulls, although the scents were muffled by the industrial front and the decay of abandoned fish stock: a waste.

That ever-so-floral scent of opium told her Max was nearby, and with it came questions.

Geto hated deep water, had always been sea sick and clung close whenever they needed to pass over anything over head height. Too many early encounters with deep water and death had left him sickly at the very concept and Kei knew he could not swim. He could barely float. Others did not know, Gojo joking at his sea sickness, but she knew.

Which meant that Max's location was exceptionally bizarre. Even in his worst state, he never inflicted water based punishments on others. For reasons she could not fully grasp, that was a step too far for him.

"Which would imply that he did not make this decision." Out loud she said it, drawing her follower closer.

"Why is that?" The chill of spearmint whistled through her still-messy hair. It took only a moment, but she did startle. Slowly, she turned to look at him.

It was not her Choso. Her dear friend. Not truly. A bizarre puzzle made up of other pieces, patchworked together in the image of Choso but not settling quite right.

"Here to fulfil your task of butchering the girl? Or is it revenge for your brothers?" His brows furrowed, something of a reaction there that composed itself.

"Neither." He did not speak for a moment, dark eyes looking nowhere in particular. Lost, she imagined. Strange, Kei mused, that his eyes were dark. "We were sent to die, were never intended to live long in the first place. I was meant to die. I would have been fine dying with my brothers but when I got there… there was another me."

He had gone to the warehouse. Had seen Choso's burnt body. Kei looked away. She swore she would not think about it, keeping the feelings buried. There was little point in thinking on it, it would bring her no satisfaction to think of what ifs and of revenge. She understood that.

"The other me was still alive when I found him, badly burnt all over."

"Of course Gojo lacks the capability to even cremate properly." She would stick it in his face any time he brought up a needless argument in his foul state. It was the closest she would ever get to revenge against him.

"He told me to find Kei, and I didn't know who Kei was. Not then. And then he died." She continued walking, and he continued following after her towards the harbour. "And then I started to remember things. Things that weren't my own memories. It hasn't stopped since."

"You were made with Choso, no, Ichiro's blood. The transference of memories is not entirely abnormal considering his own techniques and Geto's techniques which you must contain." Heels were dreadful for the snow, she mused, kicking them off. The bare feet on the snow was much more familiar to her, and kinder as well. Cooling her mood, and her anxiety.

"I'm just a copy? A back up?" A painful thought for him, to be so stripped of individuality. How long, she wondered, had he been debating his own existence? Wondering on himself and his own brothers. How much of his life was truly his own?

"You may now have the memories of this person, but that does not make you them. It is you who decides what to do with your newfound memories, and what to do with your remaining life. You are Choso, if that is the name you desire to keep."

He did not follow after her immediately, stuck in the snow lingering on his thoughts as she honed in on the strongest scent in a rusted industrial drum halfway in the water and many meters high with a metal ladder reaching the top.

As she started to climb, he came close, staying near the bottom, watching her. What a sight it must have been, she mused, to wear a white fur coat and silk dress, barefoot and climbing onto a decaying silo. She could hear it groaning underneath her, could hear the waves hitting the metal inside, pulling the lid back to reveal the chain hanging down.

No, she knew for certain this was not the actions of Geto. He would have known the consequences immediately. Choso was next to her.

"Help me pull her up."

Max was in a pitiful state. Badly bruised all over, blood seeping out of the open wound that was her eye. Choso was angrier than her.

"You say he was kind, but I cannot see anything but what a monster he is."

"It is because he was kind that I can understand how sickening this is, but he would not have put her here." She took off her coat, wrapping it around Max's chilled shoulders. She was awake, but looking at nothing. Stuck in her own world, the way Geto had been the day she dragged him out of the lake. Vacant until reality came sharply, she kept the coat wrapped close. Choso, after a moment, took off the deep purple scarf that he had been wearing, wrapping it around Max's legs. Trying to warm her as much as possible.

Vampires did not feel the cold, but in early days it was easy to feel the weather, and after the experience of drowning her body needed the warmth to come out of shock. It would not kill her, but it could paralyse her.

"If you are choosing to be our ally, please carry her for a moment. I must stop Gojo from his tirade of violence." He took Max, keeping her close as they walked towards the apartment that was her home as she sent a message to Gojo.

Max recovered. Choso helping. DO NOT harass him.

Simple instructions for a man who could not process simple instructions, the lobby an instant soothing sensation against chilled skin. No one was wandering the area, and the journey back to the apartment was easy.

Shoko was midway through lighting her cigarette when they entered, staring wide-eyed at Choso.

"The stalker?"

"He is our ally for the time being." Kei answered, Choso sitting Max on the bed. "Can you do anything for her eye?"

"I can cover it up. It will have to heal on its own otherwise it will come back wrong." She put the cigarette away, returning to her doctor's case that she had brought with her for Max's initial treatment. Her own wounds had mostly healed. "Your boy. You have any plans to stop him?"

"Yes." They were all involved. Less inclined towards violence he was, but planning was his talent. His end goal was absurd and out of character, she concluded, so it was likely not the true end goal. He was purposefully being extreme to catch the attention that he needed. A call for help. As best as he could manage when his own mind was rebelling against him. "As twisted as it sounds, he is being extreme in his behaviour to draw attention to the conflict he cannot contain. All other methods have failed him so far, so he is edging towards the worst he can get. The only problem with that is that he still has not spoken on what he requires attention towards."

"No doubt his mind preventing him from doing that."

"A broken imprint is a dangerous thing."

"If Gojo's anything to go by." Choso glanced between the two, frown etched onto his face. The words, combined with fragmented memories, started to fuse a conclusion into place. The conclusion was grim, and left a foul taste in his mouth.

When Max woke, it was with a jolt and, upon seeing Choso, a scream, falling out of bed to escape him. He held his hands up in surrender as Kei helped pull her up, still stumbling to get away as half-babbled words came out of her.

The moment passed when there was nowhere to run and the words ran out, tears spilling out of her single eye, looking to Kei for help who stared down, still keeping Max close. Choso did not move.

"Why is he here?"

"He has… obtained the memories of my friend, Choso, and wishes to help." He nodded, the movement making Max's head snap towards him. She did not take her eye off him, even as she was put back into bed, wide-eyed deer-like stare.

"I am… sorry for what happened." She said nothing. "Anything I say will sound like an excuse."

"I want to hear it anyway." She was on the edge of the bed, still ready to flee.

"I was following orders, I have no vendetta against you." He started. "We did not get to leave the lower levels of the complex often, stuck in the lab facilities. The only time we got out was during missions, so we took every mission we could. I hoped that, if we were left on our own long enough, there might be a chance to escape."

"You were never alone for missions?"

"No, there was always someone watching."

"Who?" He shrugged.

"He looked a mess, all scar tissue and grey hair. A horrid thing that likes torturing."

The description was familiar to Kei, but to Max it brought an answer.

"Mahito." Kei glanced her way, arms crossed. "He put me in that drum."

Kei briefly looked down at her shadow, the darkest it had ever been.

"I find it unlikely that Sukuna would have known." Kei did not fully understand the relationship between Sukuna and Mahito. There was nothing friendly in it, yet Mahito was almost always close. She knew it was something she would have to ask about, but she was hesitant. Some part of her did not want to know the answers.

Shoko had left soon after, shrugging off her aching shoulder.

"If you need me, don't." She had left with, leaving the three of them alone.

Time passed by awkwardly, no response from Gojo. Max was twiddling her thumbs, Choso was raiding the kitchen for coffee. Kei kept her arms crossed in the arm chair near the bed, brooding on what to do with what she knew.

"Gojo…" Max started. "What's taking him so long?"

"Shoko had mentioned Miguel attacking the two of you, so it is possible that he disregarded my warning for needless violence and pursued Miguel with the intentions of doing extreme harm with extreme prejudice." Not something that Max would enjoy hearing, but something that she needed to hear. Max severely underestimated her influence on Gojo. "You have more power over him than you think you do, be sure to remember that in future trying times."

"You think he will ever do things like Geto?"

"I can guarantee it." Another thing Max did not want to hear. "You shall as well. After all, you are now simply a long lived human, and that is an exceptionally long time to let emotions boil over."

"Great, thanks for that. Truly appreciated." Sarcasm slipped out with minimal effort.

"Gojo failed to warn you, as he fails to remember to do most things, so it is my obligation to warn you. I would not be terribly surprised if he has not announced you to the court yet."

"The court?"

Choso came with coffee, Max taking hers with a hesitant delight. Something warm. The closest she could get, Kei imagined, to a sick day off with someone to care for her. She blew on the coffee before taking a gulp.

"Do you think Gojo will leave when he sees…?" She did not say it, but Kei knew she was referring to her bandaged eye.

"I would beat him within an inch of his life long before any of the other individuals he has subjected to his presence could get to him." Kei answered, drinking slowly. "No. He pretends to care for appearance, but he does not. More importantly, he adores you. It is sickening."

Max chuckled, surprising herself. When was the last time she laughed?

"Glad to make you sickly."

"Vile things that you are." A dismissive wave of her hand. "Why do you worry he shall abandon you?"

"Geto said-,"

"Geto is running on no sleep, no blood, and at least forty years of psychological warfare against himself. He has not a single intelligent thought in his skull right now, otherwise he would have had the sense to send a text for help."

A text she did not receive, but a call she did. She quickly set the coffee down on the arm of the chair, expecting to see Gojo's number flashing on the screen. It was Geto.

"Speak of the devil." She answered. "Suguru."

"Sora."

"This is unexpected."

"Sorry, I- I just needed to-," His voice was strained, in pain. "Everything is-,"

He could not finish his sentences, bubbling through a panic that was beyond him.

"You sound tired." She started.

"I… I am. I had nightmares last night." Max leaned in closer.

"What sort of nightmares?"

"I was in an… important place. Then that banker was there, taunting me, and everything burnt down. It's all gone." Max nodded.

"I did find her in an industrial drum by the harbour, half-drowned." A curse from his end. "That does not sound like something you would be inclined to do."

"No, no I did not know. Not until she was already there." Confirming what Kei already knew, and what they suspected. Mahito was doing his own thing. Her first instinct upon meeting him was correct. "Is she-,"

"She is alive and wrapped up warm, although worse for wear. Suguru, why did you take her eye?" He did not answer. Not for a long time.

"I- don't know. I really don't know." Max's frown deepened. Even Choso looked conflicted. "Sora, what am I doing?"

"Trying to call for help, but Suguru you have not told anyone what it is you want help with."

"I don't know. I can't-," The worst part of a broken imprint. Unable to process your own actions, only lashing out, driven entirely by emotion and the desire to fill that void that had hollowed itself out in the place of one's heart. Kei could not fix it either. She never broken the imprint; it was simply one-sided. It was a cruel experience, and Kei had considered killing him to put him out of his misery. He loved living too much to ever ask. "I can't stop."

"I understand completely." She considered how to help. "Certain things can happen to lessen the damage, I think, if you were to be distracted by, say, the matter of where your blood is being transferred to. Accidents do happen when unattended, after all."

"...Yes, yes they do."

"And you could not be faulted for not being aware of these things."

"Yes." He sounded miserable. Hungering to stop, unable to. Not remembering how to.

"Suguru, try and get some sleep. If it shall help in any manner, I will keep my dreams open."

"I… thank you. I will reflect on some things."

Kei hung up.

Max stared at the phone.

"Is this really what happens with broken imprints?"

"Yes."

"What about Gojo? It's been a day, he's already…" The responsibility was starting to weigh on Max. Every day was an experience in realising how heavy the responsibility was. To carry the sanity of another in your hands, and know you could crush it in an instant with a dismissive gesture. It was a terrifying amount of pressure.

Kei could hear Gojo running to the apartment.

"Choso, stay behind me."

Notes:

A new year, a new chapter.

Chapter 32

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The interaction with Gojo was less chaotic than Kei had expected, but more than she was comfortable with, retreating from the building complex with little hesitation. Gojo's mind was in a poor state, unable to think clearly. She reflected on Geto's phone call, seeing the similarities. Gojo, as he was, would not be able to make risky decisions as he would always reflect back to the matter of Max.

Compromised.

The same way she had been in that brief period after Choso's death. Where she needed others to organise around her as she put her mind back together from its shock.

She glanced back at Choso, who had followed after her. Without the unusual scarf piece, he looked less bizarre. He also bled into the snow much more.

"I have already made my decision on what to do with Suguru Geto and I will do everything in my power to ensure that he faces the consequences of his actions. I do not intend for him to die, however." She told him, certain to emphasise her standpoint. She would not compromise on it. "What is it you want to do?"

He was quiet. She imagined that he wanted Geto dead, and she could not fault him for it, but he was conflicted because he had no support network for it. More importantly, he knew he would not be able to do it alone.

"Right now… I just want to see my brothers." A sharp wind cut through them, loose snow caught up in the air and spiralling around them. She turned around and kept walking.

"Very well."

Nothing felt warm in the underground. People were packing up early, and stalls were starting to shut down. Word had gotten around no matter how well it was being buried of something big happening. Something similar to previous conflicts, and humans that knew how to survive knew to move out of the conflict zone quickly.

Perhaps the butchery at the Leaking Brain was a bigger omen than had been suggested.

"There will be another individual amongst your brothers posing as the youngest sibling and the second oldest between yourself and Eso."

"Both?"

"He can split himself into many copies." Her bare feet against the tiled floor, Junko raised a brow at her as they stepped into the cart but said nothing as they started to move in the direction of her home. "He is not an enemy, I truthfully believe that he fit himself into that position by accident, but the others do not know he is not theirs."

"So keep pretending I know him?"

"More or less. Beyond that matter, he will be a key player in ensuring our success, and has been efficient in keeping the other brothers safe."

"Just not…" He did not say the name. To say his own name in past tense was an uncomfortable sensation that itched at his throat. He could feel the twang of the other self's death creeping onto his skin.

Kei did not answer, silent for the remaining journey, texting on her phone. Eso would pass on the message.

It had not been as awkward as she thought it would be, returning home with Choso close behind, still lingering as an anxious stray she had picked up on the street. What she had ultimately done, she mused, as she tossed the coat aside.

Choso was overwhelmed by the sight of Eso and Kechizu. So familiar and so strange to him, he could see flickers of the brothers that he knew in them and it startled him. He had to sit down, and once he sat down he could not stand up. He was exhausted, the constant battle against memories that were both his and not draining all energy from him.

Then he saw the figure with pink hair. The imposter that had slipped between the cracks. Significantly older than all of them, yet wearing the skin of a child, he recognised the figure as Sukuna. How did he manage to look so similar and so different? He would not believe he was being deceived, looking at him, so enthusiastic and genuinely happy to see him. There was no cruelty in those eyes. Could he shift his face to look so full of hope and relief? Looking at him, he felt himself as an imposter too.

Kei came out of her room changed into something warmer and more comfortable. Loose clothing with plain colours that concealed her. She did not take delight in standing out, only when it furthered her goals, and when she slipped back into the lobby to pick up the phone, it was with such goals in mind that she called Mei.

"Mei, would you delight in supporting myself in upsetting Gojo whilst having some evidence against Geto?"

"I would absolutely love that, Kei."

"Wonderful. I will travel your way soon. Farewell." She then hung up and called another number. One she had not called in an incredibly long time. She was not truly certain if it was the same number or if it had changed.

She was about to give up when someone picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, grandmother." She started, shifting in her seat. Yuji crept into the space, leaving Choso to the company of Eso and Kechizu.

"Oh, Sora, it's good to hear from you rather than just seeing you in the news."

"I felt it appropriate to give a warning in advance, this time."

"I appreciate the effort." There was a noise on the other side. "Let us hear what it is you are truly after."

"The council is still in pursuit of Geto's arrest warrant, yes?"

"Naturally."

"What would be required to get a death sentence reduced to imprisonment or banishment?" Yuji perked up, shuffling closer. "If it were to be discovered that his behaviour was, say, because of a one-sided imprint, would the one imprinted on be able to take on the responsibility of consequences?"

"One moment, dear." She heard the creaking of a chair, footsteps, shuffling sounds. Yuji mouthed 'what are you doing' to her. She mouthed 'insurance' back. Footsteps again, then the sound of a thud. "If this approach were to be taken, both parties would either be imprisoned together or banished together. Or, that has been the standard so far. If, however, the hypothetical one imprinted on could be of use to the council, that punishment may be reduced significantly so long as the two individuals remain close together and under supervision."

"If this hypothetical imprinted individual were to, say, join the council for a short period, would that not make them exempt from imprisonment or banishment for the period in which they are working within the council?"

There was silence on the other side, and Kei could imagine the grin on her grandmother's face. A sharp thing, like a cat with a mouse.

"Why yes, that is often the case. That is why I joined, after all."

"That is wonderful. I have something to tell you about Satoru Gojo."

The matter of taking Choso to see Nanami and Mei was more complicated. He stood out, even in Choso's old clothes which looked slightly odd on him.

"At least you do not look like you are wandering in your pyjamas." She muttered, earning red ears from him as they walked. His shoes were normal, at least, and walking to Mei's hotel was quick and easy. She chose the pent house, of course, and the gaudiest type of building. Even Sukuna had to remark on its absurdity, having chosen to come with them instead of lingering in the bank. Not to the pent house itself, but keeping close nonetheless.

He was not in a good mood, despite initial relief at Choso having the sense to not question his presence, and that quiet part, or loud part, of him in the form of Yuji that was merely happy that things were more optimistic.

His ire was directed towards tracking down Mahito and pinning him in place like a butterfly with sharp needles. He never had any intention of killing Mahito, not because there was any fondness in their relationship, but because he never killed the ones he truly hated, and Mahito had been the one he hated the most for the longest time.

When they came to the elevators, Sukuna pulled away.

"No doubt Geto will soon cause trouble in the bank. I must secure what I can."

"You think you will struggle to win?"

"Oh how you mock me. I know I will be on top, it's simply a matter of time." He waved to them as the elevator doors shut, and Kei was alone in the space, briefly, with Choso.

"You think he'll win?"

"I know he will. Geto's not thinking clearly, and that makes him vulnerable to easy failures. His own mind is the reason so many things are deteriorating at once. All it took was one pawn in the wrong place at the wrong time." Any pawn pushed to the edge of the board could become a queen, and he had forgotten that rule.

Mei and Nanami had been waiting when the door was opened.

"I thought you said Choso was dead." Nanami stated. She had called him in a panic when Choso was found dead, threatening to truly kill Geto though she knew she would regret it and spiral from there.

"He did. This is also Choso. We will need to sit down for this."

It was not good information to learn, but it did serve as a tool against Geto. To work with the blood of others to create clones could lead to concerns about a whole army. It had already been suspected that he was using newbloods to form an army, but to rapidly increase those numbers and to have absolute control over them was terrifying. Choso brought in information that Kei did not know regarding the newbloods as well and it was grim.

"I suspect that this is only a part of his plan regarding his experiments with blood, as well." Nanami concluded, staring down his cup of coffee.

"I suppose this is what you said would piss off Gojo as well?"

"Essentially."

"Well, at least he's pretty." Choso immediately looked at anything but Mei. "Although I am curious on why you would bring evidence against Geto when you have no desire to see him dead."

"I have some insurance." Mei could not help but smirk at that.

"You should really become a banker. Or work for the government."

"I find their company unpleasant and suspect that I would be unwelcome." Considering her record, and her willingness to commit it again. Nanami's frown deepened at that. "Now, I suppose, we wait for your friend to reach out to us. It is overdue, after all."

"You make her sound so threatening."

"I make her sound as threatening as she is." She was already waking old giants, after all.

Notes:

Slightly shorter than usual, but I am playing catch up.

Chapter 33

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The arrival of Gojo and Max was anticipated and dreaded in equal measure. Kei understood two aspects of her plan to ensure the safety of those around her, and the first was that it would be upsetting. She had lingered too long in the kitchen space, her phone close, half tempted to call and tell others what she intended to do. So it would seem less of a betrayal.

Geto had learned his isolation habits from someone, in the end, and she kept stirring her coffee, Choso watching.

Choso was an uncanny figure. Almost him, not quite. Some habits that came naturally, some that had not been tormented into him. He still tapped his figure on his thigh in anxiety, but he never looked behind him. He still liked his coffee the same.

"Why do you believe I will be safe here?" He broke the silence.

"Those two are working for the government, and as crude as it is to confess, you are a valuable asset in the arrest of Suguru Geto. Gojo would be entirely surrounded in his inability to do anything to you."

"Why can I not stay at your… home?"

"He may have forgotten, but he has been invited to that place at least twice, he would be able to wander in as he saw fit." Would he do it, though, was a question Kei did not linger on. She had enough difficult people to brood on.

"Sukuna would not protect me?"

"He would, but his capabilities are limited on account of Eso and Kechizu." He would blow his own cover and have to out himself early. Kei knew that he would have to announce who he was sooner or later, but it was a matter of when, and in the middle of a conflict was not the best time. "Here he has more security in pinning down threats, and there is also the matter of the Baku."

"I've heard of that before. Geto believed it to be a ghost story."

"Yes, himself and Gojo, but by that logic I am also a simple ghost story. He is quite real, and I have met him before. I would hesitate to engage in combat with him. He does not give up. Ever." The ultimate reason why she retreated after the previous leaders were slain was on account of his presence. He was not summoned by government, but by his own volition. She had known him then, too, and he warned her that if she kept going he would hunt her down by his own volition too. Gakuganji had been spared only because the Baku had snagged her first.

She was of clearer mind, however, and if that government were to provoke her again she knew she could repeat her past actions with ease.

She hoped they did not cause too much trouble, though Gojo would be upset either way.

When Max entered the space, she tuned into the conversation as it happened. Gojo was there as well, speaking of his own questionable activities. She could not help herself, made herself known, stepping out of the kitchen with Choso nearby. An unintentional provocation of Gojo.

"Why is he here?" Venom was on his tongue as he marched forward, Kei stepping behind Choso who looked like he would rather be anywhere else. "Why the hell are you keeping him alive?"

"...Hello, Gojo, friend butcher, the answer is truthfully in regard to Geto."

"Oh name throwing, how charming, will I get you a badge for it? There are a shit ton of other things that you could do but keep that lil freak here-,"

"Name throwing is hardly what I would call it, merely passing you the title you work so hard to earn-,"

"Can you not sound like an arrogant snob for once in your life? God, just because you're an old hag doesn't mean you should speak like one."

"Bark bark bark, how about you tell me what good it will possibly do the world for you to butcher another person? Since you are so great at making life choices about now."

Choso tried to speak up, jolting when Mei slapped her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't throw eyes at our little blood boy, he's incredibly useful and Geto can be very persuasive. I'll vouch for him, Gojo. Kei explained enough to me over text."

"Don't back her up, She's pissing me off, this is so you, Sora. You always make me out to be the little pussy whipped bitch when you're collecting assholes like stray dogs. It still doesn't deflect the fact that he tried to kill her." He pointed at Max without looking, blind to the stung look in her eyes. Speaking over her:

"I don't have any bad blood, Satoru-,"

"Well I do."

"It is obvious because you are what you claim to be, shall I prove it? Shall I strike her again and prove you are indeed a 'pussy whipped bitch' ?" She could not help it. Max had spoken her opinion and it was dismissed. His emotions had always overridden everything else, it had driven herself insane more than once, and Geto most certainly. She did not fault him for it, but it did not stop her from resenting him for it.

"You wouldn't dare." Satoru's voice got low like a guard dog growling at an intruder. "You wouldn't fucking dare."

"I would. You know I would do such a thing to prove my point. You were just becoming an intelligent dog, do not ruin your steep incline now with foolishness and blindness."

"Enough." Nanami got between them, fists clenched and brows knitted like a father scolding his children. "We are here to make the situation better, not to cast it deeper in shadows. We all have a common enemy and we must work together to stop him. This will be what Geto wants. All of us fighting amongst ourselves to lose sight of the wider and frankly alarming picture up on the wall. The fighting ends now."

She stared at Gojo, refusing to break eye contact. Simply because was there, did not mean the argument was over. Kei understood, as much as Gojo, that they would not stop the argument until it came to its natural end, otherwise it would become a situation with the resentment between Gojo and Geto.

She had never been one to let an argument brood for long. They would scream it out if needed, only breaking contact when Gojo did, a brief apologetic stare at Choso. He seemed to have garnered enough memories to expect that it would continue soon.

"Why are you still allowed to be at the bank, Mei? I lost my job, how are you still there?"

"I won't steal blood. I don't need to. That and Sukuna thought it would be entertaining if there was an operative undercover such as myself in the bank where I couldn't do anything to him or any unsavoury activities, otherwise I'd ruin it with Geto. He didn't care or need authoritative presence there, it just tickled his funny bone."

Exactly what to expect from Sukuna, Kei was not surprised. Most of the things that he did were for his amusement, and the slightest flicker of the front room light told her that he was listening and enjoying it just as much.

"I fully intend on arresting Suguru Geto and taking him in. Alive."

"It won't be that easy." The quiet mutter of 'never is' slipped out of Kei's mouth, only Gojo and Choso hearing. "He won't go easily, and I don't want violence, no more violence."

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"Kento, you and Mei know some higher ups right? Then we go to them, get their help directly. I don't know why they haven't stepped in yet, but we'll bring it to them. Plead with them if need be. They can't just sit idly by while he's free to do as he pleases. I thought draining his accounts would would stop him, calm him down- fuck I don't know. but it's not even made a dent, not really."

Such a thing never would have truly affected him. It only hurt because of the insult intended behind it. Most things stung more in his current state, but Kei believed it was the absence of both Gojo and Kei that were truly what hurt; the loss of both an anchor and someone to watch over. A messy relationship was what they were.

"I am responsible." Arms crossed, a barrier against the world. "Therefore, it must be me to end his reign."

The issue with confessing such things in front of an angry dog was that the dog would see an opportunity in the vulnerability and Gojo never paused.

"So you're finally taking accountability huh?"

"Satoru, Where is this coming from?" Max asked, Nanami already trying to stop him. As though Gojo could ever truly be stopped once he got started.

"Gojo. I said that was enough."

Kei held a hand up to quiet the room. "He is continuing his upset due to my absence, it is nothing to take to heart, leave him to get it out, it will be better if he does."

"Firstly, I am not a dog!" Choso slowly shuffled around them, intending to avoid any association with the argument. Kei kept against the wall, refusing to break her eye contact with Gojo.

"I know."

"You keep calling me it!"

"Caradog."

"We both know that's not the reason you call me it anymore."

"You are right, and I will stop."

"It would have been so much easier if you stayed instead of leaving me to look after him. He's a fucking nightmare!"

"I would have made him worse." She spoke honestly. "You did not see me then, I did not just kill the leaders. I may have even killed him."

"What the fuck were you on?"

"Blood lust, and we both know what that does, considering what you have done in your episodes of blood lust."

"Don't fucking mock me! You always do this because you know it pisses me off."

" That is not the reason I point these things out. I point them out because you never stop . You never look around and think 'my actions have consequences' even once. Do you have any idea how Max was looking at you just now? No, you do not, because how you felt was more important than the person you deemed the most important to you. I am trying to warn you, or you are going to go down a very bad path. I have been trying to warn you for centuries, Geto has been warning you, and still you do. Not. Listen."

"I am trying, but you all speak in fucking code. Nobody tells me shit, you all just go and bury it until it's a fucking mess. You know my brain is fucked, and you left me with him. He was already bad and it got worse, and I got worse. I was all on my own, what did you expect me to do!?"

She sucked in a breath. Whether she had been there or not, Geto would have declined, although to what degree it would be him or her was uncertain to her. It was a bad situation where no one could win.

"I wanted to come back sooner, truly." She broke eye contact. "I was… afraid."

That caused him to pause. Kei never confessed her emotions. Those were the most hidden.

"Afraid?"

"That I was not myself any longer. I was so… angry at everything. I wanted to kill everything. I had enough sense in my mind to grasp at the fact that I was not myself and ran. I suppose you could call me a coward, but I did not want to be responsible for killing those I care about because I could not stop." She looked up at Gojo. "I know what Geto's mind is right now, and that is why I have returned. I do not want him to make the same mistakes I almost did."

Whatever Gojo was going to say was cut off, the starts of sentences reaching no conclusion.

"I am sorry you had to bear this burden alone. It was never meant for you. I can only try and do what I can now to fix it." It was also an apology for the future. Kei was not one to apologise. It would be the closest Gojo would get acknowledgement of his years of suffering in words.

Then he was distracted by the other conversation. Something about a figure named Amber. Kei listened, but pulled away into the kitchen, pulling out her phone. Her grandmother had sent a message: the council was already anticipating them.

"We should go get those after we alert the government, I don't know how much longer they'll hold out for, the higher ups are going to want to know about this first before anyone does something stupid, who knows, they might actually help." Max started.

"When do we go?"

"Let's go tonight." Kei said, knowing that Gojo would hate what was to come. She hoped that he would eventually understand. She would not waste energy on forgiveness.

Notes:

Boom, the full argument witnessed.

Chapter 34

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The last time Kei had entered the building, it had come with a butchery, the floor soaked in blood, her kimono covered in blood, and flames stretching across the walls destroying everything it touched. She had already killed seven, and was not satisfied. She saw the fainted scars of her rage in the slightest slices on wood, a single crack on polished tile. They did well in hiding it, but she was walking through the same building wearing the very same kimono and though she did not carry a sword, she knew she did not need it. If she wanted to spill blood, Tengen would not stop her.

Gakuganji was still alive, and with that knowledge came the coldness of her stare, slow movements searching for the once young man.

As Max and Gojo spoke, she analysed her surroundings. She never looked too close when she was last there, finding no interest in its beauty, in the ancient words or click-clack of time passing by. Her dark eyes lingered on the shadows of a particular spot, knowing who was watching her. Waiting to see if she would toss it all aside and return to her bloodthirsty nature.

She nodded to him, watched as he slipped by. A shadow of a beast in his own right.

"What did you see?" Mei leaned in to ask, watching the same patch that Kei had been watching.

"An old acquaintance." It appeared as though they were not lying when they were discussing the Baku. Mei squinted, but said nothing until Nanami drew everyone closer to the reception desk.

"Mei Mei…" Her voice was flat, more drained than neutral. Like someone had sucked all the moisture out of her, which reflected in her aged face."What a pleasant surprise to see you here doing your job. Or are you here to request a raise… again?"

"Mrs Ross… I have already put the request in, I don't want to keep you awake with that. But I need to see them, are they free?"

Mrs Ross muttered to herself, offering a withering glance to their group, lingering on Kei for a moment too long. Whether she saw familiarity or not, she did not give it away. Kei knew she was recognised, and tilted her head just so to look down on the receptionist. Sukuna would delight in seeing her hostility.

"Regrettably…" She sighed, rubbing the pads of her fingers against her eyelids. "They are all free for a change. They won't be for another ten years after this. I'll send you and even your party of misfits in on one condition."

"There's always a catch isn't there? Please, by all means." Kei knew they would all be in the same space at the same time. Tengen had arranged it, and even if she had not, Kei would be sure to make it happen.

"Stop requesting a raise, once a month was far enough but this is almost on a daily basis now Mei Mei, I can't keep up with the paperwork."

"Maybe you should retire in your old age, Mrs Ross, it would make working with you much easier. But I will stop for now." Entirely unlikely, Kei suspected that Mei would now demand it multiple times a day simply to spite the woman. Mei was remarkably spiteful.

"I'll retire when I'm dead… and stop all together… Get yourself a better hobby and you'd be more tolerable... asking for a raise. Honestly."

The woman did not take long, although for others it felt longer. Gojo never did well with waiting, foot tapping, hand twitching.

"You can go in now. Speak clearly… Tengen doesn't hear so good anymore." Kei held back the smirk, knowing that Tengen had the best hearing of them all.

"Tengen?" Gojo was startled.

"Who's Tengen?" Max asked, lingering back to nudge Gojo forward towards their departing group.

"A myth. Tengen was one of the first vampires on the council, an original with energy never seen before… so the story goes." It would be messy when he found out Kei's relation to Tengen, continuing her walk. She could already hear others coming close. It would be a messy day.

"Satoru Gojo?" Two men approached from behind, walking up the stairs in suits. "And Maxine?" Asked the other.

Kei felt bad for what happened, she was willing to admit, but did not let herself crack. Even when Gojo was clearly in pain, she held him back with a firm 'don't.'. It would only make the situation worse, she dared to say, but he did not hear her.

"Let go of me, for fuck's-,"

"If you cause a scene, she is going to suffer in your place. You think these freaks will not exploit your weak points. Calm. Down." He was hissing through his teeth, red eyed in his panic. Max was terrified and Gojo felt every second of it. "She will get out of there, but not if you let your emotions override everything else."

Unhappy, he was rarely happy with her, but he forced breaths through his lungs. Some human traits never went away; the habit of trying to regulate a frantic mind by slowing down the heart. His heart did not beat though, but the trick worked, squirming to be released from her grip. He was still angry.

"You know something, don't you?"

"I only know how to get her out of this situation, and how to get Geto out of execution, and yourself out of execution." A frown pressed firmly down on his lips. "I know you will be angry as well."

"When am I not angry at you?" She could not argue with it, composure on her face as he was handcuffed and brought forward.

That was the question.

She could see where Max was contained, but only knew it from Tengen, who told her what to expect from the situation. Keeping her arms in front of her, she stared impassively at her surroundings, analysing the new leaders.

She found little favour with any of them. Gakuganji was still alive, and her eyes honed in on him immediately. He made an active effort to look away.

"You stand accused for not documenting your newblood who you are responsible for. You did not follow the protocol put in place for the protection of what little human population there is. Please see the evidence as follows."

Light illuminated where Max was contained and Gojo reacted almost instantly.

"You did not see fit to make it a priority to inform us of her existence and in line with vampiric negligence, she must be destroyed. How do you plead?"

"Then you'll have to destroy me too. Under section 5 of the vampire act, any vampire imprinted must be taken too so the connection's broken…" A brief glance her way, silently wanting to know her plan.

Max shouted, but her voice was silent. Lights were taken off her prison cell and she was dark once more.

"I don't think that'll be a route to take here. Your energy is far too rare to dispose of, Dear." Tengen spoke, knitting in her podium. Kei already knew what she was knitting, had seen her do it many times and had crafted her own pieces. The kimono she was wearing was made by Tengen.

"Tengen is right, your energy is unparalleled to anything we've ever seen-"

"I won't join! I won't do it, so stop asking old man!" Gojo seethed, straining against his handcuffs. He wanted to tear at something, Kei could see, and when another spoke she could not judge him for it.

"Stop being so dramatic Gojo, as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with my elders and asking you here-"

"I'll never see her again if I do, I can't join. I won't! I'd rather die than adhere to this cultish bullshit-"

"You are so immature! We are not a cult and don't speak to the council that way, you'll be sure to remember that!"

"Utahime. That is enough." The old man raised his hand but stared at Satoru intensely who by now had flopped over and leaned against the podium.

She took the opportunity, her reputation, to snare Gojo.

"Listen here you dumb shit-" She leaned in close. "This close they will not hear us." He bristled. "Suggest that you will join, but sign no contract. If you want to get her out of there, you will bide your time and stop protesting based on what you feel. You can leave once everything else is done."

"Was this your damn plan?"

"It was the only plan available." Anger. It was always anger with Gojo, followed by defeat. She let him go.

"Please… I can't live without her."

"There is another route we could take to keep the poor boy with his mate." Tengen spoke, setting her knitting down, a cunning in her stare. They had the same black eyes, like a shark.

"There is another vampire that Satoru Gojo is linked to who we've been trying to get for a while now, his warrant is still active, isn't it?"

The suited man turned and faced forward, moving the gavel to his shoulder and using one hand whilst he pulled out a file from a desk nearby. "Suguru Geto's warrant is currently active for his arrest and imprisonment as he was tried and given the life sentence for his crimes. What are you implying?"

"Eh? What was that Higuruma?"

The man huffed and spoke much louder. "What are you implying Tengen?!"

"Oh! Sorry Dear, my hearing isn't as good as it used to be… Aid my dear Mei Mei and help us bring Suguru Geto to justice and answer for his crimes and we can let this minor transgression slide. After all, she hasn't caused any problems, has she?" She glanced the way of Max, and to others it could have been seen as soft, but Kei knew that there was no real softness there. Beyond her own imprint, Tengen cared for little.

"No. No she has not." Kei announced, watching the shark eyes gleam as she adjusted her glasses and turned to look at her.

"Who is that there?"

"It is me, Granny."

"The pee manny?"

Kei's voice thundered around the entire room and a pin could drop. "It's me Granny. Sora."

"Oh, my Grandchild. Sora… it has been a while, hasn't it my dear?" She leaned forward, and Kei could see sharp teeth glinting.

The impact was that of confusion, muttering amongst the council. Words of panic, that their butcher was associated with one of the oldest vampires still alive. They did not even know Kei's age, but Tengen's connection confirmed it; Kei was one of the true elders.

"You're a chick?! The books didn't say that!" Brought a smirk to her face. Gojo still managed to amuse her even in tense situations.

"It has been, but I want to address the abnormally large elephant in this room before this idiot messes things up." She stood forward and pulled Gojo up by the collar of his shirt. She purposefully had no strength in it, keeping it with only the illusion of force."Gojo will choose the latter. And I will aid in bringing Geto to justice."

She took the choice out of his hands, something he always hated.

"Very well." The gavelled man named Higuruma said. "We'll take a vote to determine the fate of all involved… Yes, Gakuganji?"

"You take Suguru Geto out… and Satoru Gojo joins the council. Or you will not get my vote at all."

"No… No I can't. I told you I won't do it!" When the opportunity to not join was also taken out of his hands, he was left with vicious protesting only. Protesting that was ignored by the council. There was a reason she loathed them so violently. "Kei do something. I won't see her again please! If you have any love for me as a friend you'll do something!"

It had been the plan, she was willing to admit, to have him there temporarily, but he looked so frightened. So trapped. She could not help the twang of pity that pulled at her heart strings, a beat too fast he would have heard if he was paying attention.

"If Gojo is to join you, then I will too, you will have no choice."

The panic was almost immediate. Whether she was good or bad at her job was irrelevant, the truth of the matter was that she was a danger and where needed would slice through her problems. Mei tried to speak up, and she could see, for the first time in a long time, genuine fear in the eyes of the council. She did not break eye contact with Gakuganji. If he wished to play with his food, he would have to fight with a snake.

Tengen clapped and dropped her knitting but it stayed where it was, her aura holding it on her laps as he beamed. "Oh Sora, that would be lovely dear."

Satoru shook his head and took a hold of Kei's clothes. "No, No! Not that, anything but that, I asked you to help, not make things worse!"

"I adore the council." Venom in her voice kept dry, concentrated over the years. "The last set of elders that resided here were most entertaining, were they not, Gakuganji? The fifth was exceptionally delightful to deal with. A shame he was left in pieces."

Her words got Kento's back up who stayed back from the podium with Mei. "Don't talk about that, Kei." He knew, more than anyone, her brutality. He had been there when she killed the fifth, and the image never truly left his vision.

Gakuganji, swallowed hard enough his head bobbed and he sat up straight like he would snap.

"I-I do recall something along those lines… Tengen, I do not think it's wise for Sora to join-,"

"Nonsense! My grandchild will make a fascinating councillor. It is agreed. Once Suguru Geto is brought to justice, Satoru Gojo and Sora will take seats on the council."

Gojo's head drooped forward, half muttering to her:

"You're insane. You're insane and you're horrible."

"I know."

"As for his mate, Maxine," Tengen "The execution warrant has been revoked… and Satoru Gojo may reside wherever he wants as long as he attends his council duties."

The woman with the scar on her face stood with a scroll, clearing her throat to read from it. "The requests granted that we received are as follows… We grant Mei Mei a warrant to search the property of Suguru Geto for evidence of the crimes committed in paragraph ten through eighty nine. Power of arrest is now in full force… Kento Nanami, upon your written request, your use of the Baku is now in force and you are free to use him as you see fit to retrieve your assets from your establishment after the investigation has been completed."

It was a limited comfort, Gojo quick to Max's side, dismissing the world to check on her. Kei lingered back, looking to the shadows again. He was nearby, watching everything. Had he tasted her bloodlust and crept close to see whether she would strike. Mei did not look her way, nor did Nanami. She did not care, a ghost in the group as all continued around her. She slipped away from the group at the nearest opportunity, lingering in the lobby.

She had no true desire to be a part of the council, but as she had joined, she did not intend to be seen as lazy. She took her own paperwork and Gojo's, and was thorough. She stayed in one of the offices and worked, centuries worth of paperwork cleared within hours. Although still petrified, there was no denial amongst the council that she was a good worker, and problems that had been delayed or ignored for a long time were granted permission.

She had no intention of staying past Geto's punishment. It was the reason for her speed; she would never pursue such an opportunity again.

Gojo did not reach out to her, nor did Nanami or Mei. She wandered from the council to home, keeping the company of the brothers. Sukuna was always close, shadows coiling around her legs like a needy cat.

Kei entertained him when it was quiet, but she would not deny that having so many encounters with others to being isolated once more was disorientating. She did not let the sensation linger long, knowing it was for the best. Certain she was making the best decision. She would not regret it, no matter how others looked at her.

It was in the dark office that the letter was dropped her way.

An invitation.

What she had been waiting for. She sent a message to everyone, a picture of the invite:

"It seems Suguru Geto is entering his final act." Just in time.

Notes:

We're entering the final act folks!

Chapter 35

Chapter Text

She took to the same white kimono, a raised brow from Sukuna as she did so.

"So, it is safe to say we will all be in a bloodbath?"

"Exactly." A final act included a final clash, after all, and Geto was too similar to herself; he would make sure to leave an impact no matter the cost. She hoped that she could reach him in time, adjusting her hair. "He will likely pursue the bank. If anything, in the hopes that if he fails then he will at least be killed."

"Is that an invite to kill him?" He perked up, still leaning on the doorway with arms crossed.

"I will dismiss your entire existence for the remainder of my days if you pursue that line of thinking." Joking or otherwise, he understood that she meant every word. Kei normally did not hold grudges, but the ones that were held were permanent. Sukuna understood it, Mahito's slow and miserable existence a reminder of such things. "Mahito is likely cowering in the complex. Do you wish for me to pluck him out?"

"That would be delightful. He would expect myself. He deserves a surprise every once and a while." He also knew that if he was spotted in the complex, having not been invited, that it could lead to a deterioration too early. Everything needed to go according to plan.

The hair pin slid smoothly through her hair. No sword could be taken onto the premises, but no one could judge a hair pin. He stepped forward, wrapping her favourite cloak around her. Pinning it in place with silver clasps.

"You look beautiful." A smile crept onto his face before he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Destroy them."

The others were already inside, she glanced their way but did not draw close. They did not see her, and she remained at a distance. Eyeing the staff, looking for other faces she was hunting down. She knew the doors had been locked, and could smell that cold twang in the air. Something chemical-like, something distinctly lacking in humanity.

A man in white approached the crowd, hunched over like an old crow in people's clothes. "Mr Geto would like to invite you to the main hall to sit for the main event."

Herded like cattle into an ever smaller space, she did not enter into, drifting back and into the corridors around the building. She already had a suspicion of what would happen, and had confidence that the others would survive.

She was not meant to bring weapons to an event such as thing, but that did not mean she did not bring one. The shadows bled out her sword, Sukuna's parting gift before he settled for his own event. Sheathed, she walked through the eerily silent corridors, listening for other life.

"You should not be here." It was a familiar voice. She did not react.

"Hello, Baku." She turned to him, or where she thought she heard him. "There is no need to worry, I have no intentions of interrupting your activities."

"I did think it was suspicious how you were not with the others."

"I have not spoken with them since the council so graciously made a scene, Gakuganji specifically, are you certain I cannot kill him?"

"Maybe something will happen today and he will get into an unfortunate accident." His smirk was mean. Although he had stopped her, it was not due to any fondness in his heart for the man. "Are you looking for Nanami's girls?"

"No." She started. "Although they will be in the lower levels of the lab. Easy to get lost in there, rely on your nose."

"Understood." He waited for her to speak.

"I am pursuing one of Sukuna's betraying assets." And to uncover Geto's plans as much as she could. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"I can tell you are lying."

"I am not lying." Her head tilted, listening close. "I suspect that the newbloods will be released on the crowds soon. It would be wise to meet with your group and retrieve the girls swiftly, or the opportunity will be missed entirely."

He sighed, then, dragging himself away from the wall to retreat the way he came.

"Try not to make a mess." She was inclined to say that was his occupation, but she kept silent as he disappeared.

The task of locating his offices was difficult, but not impossible. Flipping through filing cabinets, there was another reason that she was going through the paperwork of the council, and that was so know what to look for. After all, they already had many suspicions on Geto, and with her previous knowledge on him she was able to find it.

Years of research papers. The cause of all his torment. Everything he was experimenting with. She already suspected his interest in blood went beyond that of power and wealth. This was his personal obsession, and it had been present from the day he was turned. The moment he learned of imprints, he wished to learn more. The results were in front of her. She tucked them into the inner lining of her kimono and tuned into the more important sounds.

The sounds of Mahito trying to escape.

Mahito, as she learned from Sukuna, was not the one that turned him, but had been present when he was both a human and a vampire. A malicious man of great cruelty that took delight in inflicting pain on others, he had tortured and killed many of the people Yuji had known, and had killed many young vampires in his earliest days for no other reason than he thought it would be fun.

Turning him was a punishment because he was bound to Sukuna, and no matter where he went he would never truly escape him. He took his time with his torture, and would never let him die. Mahito was built strongly not because he wanted him powerful, but because he wanted to make sure he could not destroy himself.

It was a relationship of mutual hatred that would never truly end.

That was a curse.

Kei did not flinch at the strike, the end of her sword butting sharply into his gut. She heard the crack, pushing forward to throw him down, and down he went with a heavy thud.

"Wow, no wonder that freak's into you, you sure know how to pin a man down." He thrust his legs upwards, twisting them around her legs and rolling her onto his side, biting at her wrist to force her to release the sword. She did not, technique activated as she plunged the sword forward, slicing between the shoulder and its socket. He did not even react, lunging forward with biting teeth. He took the sword with him, wrenching it out of place. "So this is the famous butcher's knife?" He flipped it in his hand, pressing forward.

Kei shifted back, defensive against the strikes. It was a sword blended with silver, and she could see his hand burning on the handle.

He knew how to use a katana, there was no denying that, dodging strikes as the room was torn to shreds, Mahito cackling at the tear that cut through her sleeve.

"Come on, this is the best you can do?" He leered close, sword above his head. She took the hair pin and plunged it in his throat.

He froze, discoloured eyes glancing down, the skin bobbing around the metal in his throat, blood seeping out the wound. He could say nothing, katana slipping out of his hands. She pulled the hair pin out, blood spurting out of the wound before he fell to the ground.

Not dead, although that would have been a kindness. She considered it for a moment, picking up the sword, but before she could consider putting him out of his misery, the shadows devoured him.

She said nothing. It was not her place to judge how others inflicted their grudges, resheathing the sword. Blood had splattered against her front, she took out the papers and tossed them to the shadows.

"Keep them safe." Sukuna had certainly heard her for they were soon gone.

She listened to the chaos within but did not enter. Geto was not there, and would soon confront Sukuna. Walking through the streets, newbloods rabid in their hunger, none came near her. What little sense they had told them that it would be futile.

Those of the underground had stood above ground and were wiping out those who came close. She saw faces she recognised. Junko with a sharpened shovel decapitating another, the tea merchant with salt bombs. She walked through that chaos, focused only on one scent. The scent of Geto running to the bank.

She had given Sukuna a warning to not kill him. To not break him, but simply because she requested something, did not mean he would fulfil it. Kei lived her life knowing to not trust the words of others, crunching through the snow, wind picking up as the beauty of the bank glistened white and red in the brightness of buttery lights.

In a way, it looked like a shrine. The front entrance could easily be mistaken for a tori gate, gargoyles guardians. If she stared too long, she swore that they would move. So she did not look for long, focused only on the path ahead.

Only on the changing world, entering the domain of Sukuna.

How snow bled into blood, into river, and how she knew, how she always knew, that Geto was drowning again. It did not matter that it was not real. It was always real to him.

"Release him." She told Sukuna, and though she did not look at him, she could imagine the look on his face as she stepped waist deep into the water, already her sword dropped at her side as she reached into the river and pulled him out.

He did not see her, riddled only by his sheer instinct to survive, fumbling blindly with his terror to the river shores, running whilst seeped in that blood to what little freedom he knew. Mountains. Somehow, she knew exactly where he was going. It was the direction of her home.

She lingered in the river a moment longer, the world still warped. She was not as frightened of it as she had been in the past. In a way, she could reflect on the realisation that it was like her own mind.

"Going after him?"

"Always." She stepped out of the river of blood, and it melted behind her into snow. She saw nothing around her, only her final pursuit. Blood was his trail, blood was her trail. It always came down to this. Always came down to the broken bond. Always came down to blood.

She started walking.

Chapter 36

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Suguru."

Finding him was easy, painfully so. He did not try to hide, not truly, the trail of blood following him, clumsy stumbling footprints in the snow, dragging themselves away from the city. Away from all that he had done, was still doing, to hide from it. The way he always did when he edged towards awareness.

Kei, Sora, knew that he was not naturally inclined towards violence, that it sickened him every time. He could control it, but it had been a long decline, and a neglected one. She would not run from it, would not deny her neglected responsibilities any longer. She could no longer afford to, and it would be the cruellest fate of all to leave him alone then.

It was a small home, and one that she had considered claiming as her own when she first stumbled half-blind and just as bloody as Geto into the abandoned village, temptation only drawn back by the awareness that someone else had lived there at some point recently.

If she had known she would have lingered in the space longer. If anything, for the hope.

The shoji doors had been left open, and she could see him clearly as he leaned against one of the wooden beams, half there, half in another world vacantly staring at nothing at all.

It was only when she spoke his name that his eyes did move, honing in on her figure seeped in blood, no sword by her hand. They both looked an incredible mess.

"Here to finally kill me? Very well, go ahead." What he had witnessed in the realm of Sukuna, and what hard reality had struck him upon clarity, sucked any hope out of him.

She did not answer, climbing inside.

"Apologies for the mess."

"Nothing worse than what I have done."

"Still, I must apologise." She walked into the room, kneeling down and sitting next to him.

They did not talk for the longest time. The silence of heavy snow muffling all noise, hiding everything.

"Was I that easy to find?"

"I happen to live at the bottom of the mountain. I almost considered hiding here, but it looked lived in."

"I-," His expression morphed into confusion, before breaking into a bitter chuckle. "Of course. Even when I am not looking for you, I seem to find you."

"My apologies."

"Please do not apologise." He shifted by her side. "It is not your fault that I am the way that I am. You did not control the imprint. If you did, I already know what you would have done."

For the first one hundred years of their lives together, it was just herself and Geto wandering the world. Geto had learned many things about Sora, and the most crucial was that she was not as cruel as she pretended to be. If she were cruel, he would have been abandoned long ago. If she were cruel, she would have stayed when she should not have.

He leaned on her. No perfume clung to her, just the faint earthy scent of her. That bitter, earthy tone of matcha that was so precious to him. He knew the blood was meant to keep him sane, but it smelled like her, so he would not judge himself for keeping it. Holding onto any part of her that she offered, even as he leaned against her he wanted to press closer, and she let him. A tired, one armed embrace.

"I cannot compete with Sukuna."

"There is no need to compete with him."

"There is for me."

"Why?"

"He's imprinted on you, and I think you have too."

"I am not a vampire. I do not imprint." A truth. She had never admitted to an imprint and had told him so, that she did not feel it. How destructive her simple existence was to have an individual like that under her thumb, and to not have to struggle the same. She did not want to be cruel, but that did not mean she did not end up imposing suffering on others.

"I wish I did not want to fight."

"I know." His head was on her shoulder, dark hair falling over her shoulder. He simply lay there, content in the rare peace.

"Will I be killed?"

"I do not know." She intended to stop it if possible, would fight it, and had done all she could in the hopes of avoiding that execution, but she did not control the world. Gojo was also an entirely different matter. "Satoru is murderous."

"I don't blame him. God, what a shit person I have been."

"Nothing worse than how he has been."

"So I should do better."

"That is not what I said." She lifted a hand, stroking his hair. He hummed, a rumbling in his chest.

"I do not want to face him."

"And yet you must." He shuffled closer. Always trying to get closer. "I am going to confess our relationship to the court. Considering all that has happened in the past, and the actions the court has engaged in in the past, they can hardly declare you to be the worst individual."

"The court does as the court pleases. I always hated them."

"I have only worked with them for a day and already I wish to retire." He huffed.

"And I suppose you did more work than they have done in their entire existence."

"Oh, naturally."

Silence continued longer. He had stopped moving, still by her side.

"Sukuna does want to help you too, so it will likely be banishment."

"It did not feel like he wanted to help."

"He is a bit of a freak."

"A bit?"

"As is standard of us old people." He did not answer, she could see the slightest pout on his face before he slowly let go. She let him. He stared for a moment longer, before focusing on the far distance, a frown deepening on his face.

"Maxine is coming."

"So you can sense when she is using her ability?"

"Sometimes." It was with a bitter tone. "Please. Go. I don't want you to see me be cruel."

"I have already-,"

"Please." It was not the cruelty he was trying to hide from her. She could tell from a stare. It was what Max would pull out of him. Not hatred, but a firm dislike. She had already heard from Max on what she had interrupted during her wanderings, and what dreams and threats Geto had thrown at her. It was something he was ashamed of, he was at least willing to admit to that.

"I understand. Do not punch her if you feel inclined to harm, at least. She is trying to help you."

"I… I know." It did not mean he wanted to listen to her, and after a moment Sora stood up. With a final embrace, she walked down the steps and into the deeper snow. She had a feeling on where Gojo would confront Geto. A beautiful place with a history behind it.

It was the very same place Geto had died centuries ago.

Notes:

We are nearing the end! Very short chapter

Chapter 37

Chapter Text

Only fantasy stories had beautiful fights; real fights were ugly and messy, and dull to look at. Often times, all it took was one punch to end a fight. It was never as beautiful as in books or in movies, although Gojo had slipped into many a cinema and watched those Chinese martial arts movies and declared that if he were to fight, he wanted something of that scale.

The reality shone clearly on the frozen lake: they were both ugly fighters, and terrible at it. Neither was truly engaged in the battle, an episode of repressed emotions spilling out and resulting in careless screaming on both ends. If the world was expecting a stunning downfall, the world was a fool.

"This is ridiculous, we need to stop them." Max, the terribly fresh new blood, was the most mature of the viewers. Perhaps because she was new and witnessing it from the eyes of a human. Sora kept her arms crossed, observing. She had seen the slightest crack in the ice. Not an immediate concern, but something that could potentially go wrong.

"No. Let them get it out. The dumb fucks have forty years of trauma under their belt, this is past overdue."

"This is hard to watch Kei, I thought maybe they would have gotten it out of their system by now but..."

"They are idiots. That is why they have not surrendered to each other." It was not even the worst fight they had gotten into. Gojo and Geto clawing at each other, smacking, and pushing and shoving. There had been worse fights in the path; with teeth involved.

"It's embarrassing. You can say it." At some point, Toji had arrived, although Sora had not acknowledged him.

"I find it compelling. It proves what brats they are." She kept a close watch on the frozen lake, on the two figures fighting on it. It always came to a frozen lake in the end; it were as though they were drawn to places where they had died.

"Maybe Gojo will get his ass kicked if that's how he's fighting." Nanami spoke up, half leaning on one of the birch trees.

"I say let them take as long as they need, I'm in no rush."

"That's because you're getting paid for this, Mei."

"I am… Who wants to take bets?"

"Me."

"Gambling? Sure, I'm in." A moment passed before Max spoke, almost flustered:

"I bet one of them will cry." A smile almost slipped onto Sora's face.

"You are cold." Sora decided, for certain, that she quite liked Max then. "I am very proud… Though please do go big. Both of them will cry, it is almost guaranteed."

The chill of night worsened, the fight dragged on. She was not cold, but she could see Max shiver. The adrenaline of having survived the chaos wearing off. She had no coat of her own to offer, glancing to Nanami, a sharp head movement telling him to offer his blazer. It was after another movement that he removed the blazer, dropping it onto Max's shoulders, although she did not seem to notice. She did stop trembling, though.

"Where are Geto's girls? Are they safe?" Nanako and Mimiko, the strays Geto had taken from that sickening opium den years before everything fell apart. She did not know what the intentions were for them, locked in that cage, but none of the images that came to her mind were pleasant. It was that event, she was certain, that twisted Geto's neutral affection for humans into disdain. He separated himself from their existence, sickened by the very idea that he was the same species as such people, and kept the children close.

Mimiko had still preferred her company, though.

"With Manami."

"Thank you." Manami, despite everything, was a decent woman. She had only met her once, but Sora could see that she was stuck by her own circumstances. Geto had no idea of the one-sided bond he himself lived with. If he did, he would have destroyed her. Not so much out of cruelty, but out of pity. No one knew that discomfort more than himself. "Geto!"

The shout startled the fight into a pause.

"Be nicer to Manami! You're kind of an asshole!"

Gojo's laughter was obnoxious, Geto's words blocked out by the sound, but there was a muttering of agreement.

She thought on what to do with Mimiko and Nanako. They would want to know what happened to Geto. She knew Toji wanted him dead but after the disaster of her own banishment was cautious in his decisions; too many new bloods without their master would be far too much paperwork for Toji to handle alone, and Sora would happily walk away from the job if only to spite him and he knew it. The matter of what to do with Geto led to the question of what to do with Mimiko and Nanako.

There was little reason for her to hide anymore. Her banishment was up the moment she stepped into the government building, Tengen having stamped the document clearing her crimes; Toji would have seen it. It was the only reason she was allowed to walk the streets with her real name and face. It did mean that she could leave that underground home; the one her mother had made so long along before she destroyed herself.

It would be strange returning home. To see familiar things and know they were not the same. It would be good to stay clear of the city, perhaps some rest would do everyone some good. She wondered what Choso and his brothers would do. They would, as always, travel as a family. Would Yuji follow? Split into two and drifting with this family that were not quite his, but what he claimed anyhow? Sora already had a suspicion that the other two knew he was not their true youngest brother, but had accepted his presence anyhow.

What would Sukuna do?

Many questions, but no answers to come with them.

If Geto were to come home with her, he would have to accept the presence of Sukuna; that would be the most difficult of all. Perhaps without the constant battle, it would be easier.

"The amazing Satoru Gojo isn't as amazing as he seems, right?"

"He is. But his downfall unfortunately is his mouth, too tempting to say nothing but stupidity. I remained hopeful he gained more than one brain cell once he imprinted. For a time I was convinced." The truth of the matter was Gojo would never truly settle out of the new blood energy. It was a part of him that he was trapped with; the fault of his sire who did not care for him in the first week of his change, merely tossing him straight into work. He was stuck, forever, searching for that first blood. He had settled, somewhat, with Max's blood. Perhaps it was not so much that her blood was special, but she had a relation to his sire. The closest he would have gotten to the first blood he needed.

"Actually, can we leave him alone? He's not the only one out there. Don't forget Geto is out there too. He did far worse than Satoru."

"In this century mayhaps."

"W-what?"

"That will be a conversation for you to endure with Gojo himself." Max had no idea the life that was set for her. Sora wondered if she should have had a notebook of all the things wrong with Gojo as a warning to any fresh victims of his. She had one for Geto. It was simply too difficult to write all of Gojo's wrong-doings in one place.

When all the energy was burnt up, all that was left was to speak. She listened, a quiet relief in her that they would not hate each other. They never did, but there was always that lingering thought that this would be what would finally break them apart, and break them.

"Congratulations on your engagement by the way-"

It happened in an instant. Whether it was from the prolonged fight, or something as small as Gojo having thrown himself back onto the ice at the very end, but the crack deepened and the ice caved into the ink black waters below.

Geto went under and Gojo laughed. He had never seen Geto in the water, or near it without clinging close to Sora, so he did not know.

He did not know until Sora ran forward, towards the ice.

"He can't swim-," It was instinct, it was always instinct, that had her throwing herself into the water.

Sora's mother destroyed herself by throwing herself into a deep, dark lake after starving herself for many days. Sora had not known she had been starving herself, had understood very little of her mother's mind for much of her life, but she did know that vampires could survive drowning with a great deal of pain in mind.

It had confused her when her mother had died. She could not grasp it, watching her pale body when it lifted from the dark waters with confusion. Striking her face, her arms, trying to shake the performance out of her. There was no such response, and when the body began to disintegrate she realised that vampires could die of drowning. They just needed to be hungry first.

Geto was difficult to see at first, dark hair surrounding him like smoke, his panicked flailing grasping at water trying to wrench himself upwards. It did him no good to breathe, but she could see the panicked breaths already, straining through his lungs. She bit on her lip, drawing blood, before swimming close, him latching onto her, half blind trying to use her to climb to the surface. She pushed him down, more dread in his movements as he feared her intending to drown him, before she pressed her lips against his own.

For a moment, he fell limp. The actions confusing him before the blood hit his tongue. A brief support to stop him from dying. It made pulling him out of the water that much easier, kicking upwards, and pushing him out first.

Gojo helped to pull him out, fear in his eyes as he dragged him fully out of the water, trembling and coughing up water, soaked fully through and terribly, terribly cold. Sora came out after, ushering them away from the water, slowly shuffling towards the lake's end. Geto clung to any warmth he could, whether it was Gojo or Sora. He was always holding onto something.

"W-what do I do Sora?"

"Surrender."

She did not use the bond against him. There was no need for it. As they came upon the end of the lake, towards the group of government officials, it was clear the handcuffs were more a decoration than necessary. He went willingly, and Sora went with him.

"You don't need to come." Mei said as she followed.

"Yes. I do." She did not fight it, letting Sora come.

Fireworks went off, Sora glancing at the night sky.

"What a terrible end to a terrible year."

Chapter 38

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Sora had a belief about the world, that every extreme balanced itself out, whether by human or vampire interaction, or by the nature of the universe itself. For every extreme there was an opposite extreme and a plateau.

The trial was just for pretty words. If there were to be an execution, it would be a disaster and she knew it would not happen, although Sukuna loved to rock the boat and dared to speak his words if only to receive her glare. The statement was quickly retracted and she could see the glimmer of Yuji in the smile.

Banishment was nothing new to her. It was a preference, and one hundred years was not long for her. It was a long enough time to give humanity time to recover, and long enough for Geto to be forgotten. Long enough for him to find a new way in life, if that was what he sought.

She never knew he was a part of the council, had never asked, but was not terribly surprised by it. He was old enough ad well known enough that it would make sense for politics to be what dragged him into neutrality for so long.

It did get a laugh out of her to learn from Tengen that he had joined to get more information on her in earlier days, trying to pry snippets out of Tengen and trinkets for 'his shrine', although he denied the existence of such a thing. Geto had looked suspicious in that moment, but she did not interrogate him.

When the storms did settle, and she started to move out of her underground abode, it did not surprise her to see the brothers had moved on. A letter had been left in place. They had moved back to the city, to the house Choso had received from Geto. Choso was still adjusting, still gaining memories and trying to find his place in the world, but he was doing better and slowly, ever so slowly, Yuji slipped out of the family name.

It had left Sukuna with a grimness about him. The brothers knew, she was certain, but Yuji would not take the step forward and confess his deception. He had a strange fragility about him, a dread towards rejection that had him pulling away before anyone could push him first. A part of him that built the wall that was Sukuna.

He came on weekends, blindly at first, as they were repairing the home that Geto had made into his runaway retreat. She had brought the old shoji doors he had painted a long time ago, and what little items that were her own. He kept close to each one like it was a precious treasure, and he lingered close to her.

He kept close when Sukuna was near as well, seeing Sukuna as an intruder for the longest time, but Sora dragged away from them, pointed accusing fingers and demanding that they talk as she disappeared into the woods to gather clay, and when she returned a peace had been settled. More like friends than they had ever been.

Other times, Nanako and Mimiko came to visit. Manami would linger on the edges but never stepped inside even though Sora invited her often. Manami had her own devils to fight, and it would be a long time before she was willing to be in the same room as Geto.

Mimiko had dyed her hair blue, or had tried to, and it had turned a seasick green. She had helped to dye it correctly and what broken bonds had been among them were slowly starting to stitch together. She had wanted to stay overnight, often, but always left after enough persuasion.

Geto received letters often. She knew who they were from, the clumsy writing only belonging to Gojo. Despite his declarations of hating Geto, it was never something that stayed long. They knew each other too well, and the letters soothed that fear in Geto, who always believed Gojo's declarations. He had a sensitive heart.

Weeks turned into months, and it was a year before Sukuna had given Sora the news she was truly interested in.

Geto's research notes.

They were half-mad, half-desperate, more a call for help than anything else. Although they had not been declared in the court case, they were used as evidence in private to confirm the deterioration of Geto's mind.

Only Sukuna could fully grasp the madness, and had taken it as a side-job to break down the madness to its core components. What it ultimately ended up being was research into how to form imprints.

The answer had been there. He had not seen it, perhaps because of his state of mind at the end.

When the snow was at its heaviest, and a year had passed since the trial, she rolled onto her side and spoke to his sleeping self.

He did not know what she was doing until she had done it.

He had never looked so happy, and so sad, in his entire life. He did not let go of her for the remainder of the night. And he had never slept so well.

Sukuna demanded the same treatment, had latched onto them both. His fears, although better hidden, were the same. That dread of being left behind. To both of them he stuck, declaring that they could not refund him now.

Sora had not felt much of a change, and part of her wondered if she had been imprinted on them, but they just never felt it. She felt no point in asking, so long as it eased their hearts.

Months turned into years, and life carried on. Supposedly, her rapid work in the short time she was a part of the council had left its impression and Utahime had sent a letter requesting that, at the end of her banishment, she be employed in the civil department.

She considered turning the letter into tinder, but kept it in a drawer.

Gojo had settled into paperwork, although with much complaining. Max had written as such, had written a list of his complaints on a separate piece of paper. It was strange to imagine him calm, but it made life easier.

Sora felt the coils of her technique easing around her, and for the first time in a terribly long time she could say that she was at peace. She shut her eyes in the sunlight and breathed it in. She could hear the hum of bees, the crunching of feet on gravel, and the clucking of chickens. A rustle of wind against windchimes, against the trees.

Yes, she could say that she was at peace with this.