Welcome back to another edition.
Not much to say, but we are nearing the one-year anniversary of Cursebreaker. I'll be working on another chapter for that, but it's pretty hype.
We're near the top of the JJK fic charts, and I wanna extend my appreciation to the readers and betas, as always.
A quick thing of note: Fanfiction has been flooded with "artist" bots, and just as a precaution, I'll say it now in case it escalates and people try to impersonate me or any other fic writer as a scam.
I do NOT have an alternate account, and I will NEVER have monetization for my fanfics. Don't believe anyone who says they're me if they have a different profile name.
I also think making money off fics makes someone a morally reprehensible scumbag, and you're free to tell them I think that.
I do this for fun and to interact with all of you, nothing else. Hopefully, fanfiction will get this fixed soon, but who knows?
Anywho, let's get into this.
We have some new team members, so show some love.
BetaReaders: BFTyrant, Chris, Daki, Rockmean, Luxutor, ReallyRey, Hackerman27, Chepatard, Jasonzzldude, Tupjunk, and Megadumbo.
...
Somewhere beneath Mistral
*Click
A voice echoed through cold metallic halls, their tone a chaotic mixture of utter indifference and ruthless fascination, "Log date. September 25th, the year of the Twin Meteors, and with our current progress, the year of his return."
The man sneered, his dark boots clicking along the dull floor, his green eyes staring blankly ahead, ignoring the screams coming from every surrounding passageway and entrance into various rooms deeper in the facility.
"It's a fascinating thing to behold...deciphering fact from fiction, and as the two often go hand in hand, blending in the hearts and minds of those that inhabit this world, raising the question of if the difference even matters, so long as value is placed upon the resulting beliefs, they will always form the causality we call reality."
He ran a hand along his grey suit and dress pants, brushing off even the slightest trace of imperfection, his black tie fluttering in the temperature-controlled breeze.
"He once existed, it's undeniable...carving his legacy onto the kingdoms themselves. Some believed him to be a god. Others thought he was nothing more than a man with the power to bend the world as he wished. Is there really any difference?"
The inventor paused, staring through a glass window as one of his 'patients,' a young girl hardly old enough to attend an academy, twisted and writhed, strapped against a chair as their veins darkened and pulsated beneath their flesh, a nearby clock displaying, 'eight minutes and fifty-five seconds since injection.'
"Personally. I couldn't care less what he is. Power comes and goes...but disorder? Disorder brings upon the most fascinating of things...forcing evolution and adaptation to one's own environment in a desperate gamble to escape death, rising to unimaginable heights through the optimization of one's own innate abilities."
His grin grew as the clock struck ten, and the patient fell silent, a thin stream of blood escaping from every possible crevice, "There's a process to these things. That man trampled the land beneath him, and there arose a generation of greatness to oppose him, the likes of which we've only receded from since. If this continues...no, it should be...no, it must be stopped!"
The grass cracked as he slammed a fist against it, "I will be the one to birth a new world and be the first to witness its glory! ME! It has to happen for this ceaseless boredom to rid itself once and for all...but for this to be achieved...not just for Salem, not for my continued existence, but my pleasure and my pleasure alone-"
The scientist would raise his recorder closer, his gloved hands shaking so much it nearly broke the device in half, and with a wicked smile crossing his tan face, he chuckled, "I, Doctor Arthur Watts, will ensure the return of Ryomen Sukuna-"
"By year's end."
*Click
...
...
*vvvv-vvvv
Watts paused, pulling a scroll out of his pocket, flickering over a notification, and as a switch had flipped, he stood upright, straightening his tie to a professional standard, and marched through the facility once more as if nothing had happened.
The Doctor stood in a makeshift lab, appearing as nothing more than a humble research station, concealing the nightmarish depths a mere few hundred years deeper inside.
Minutes later, a series of metallic doors would slam open, followed by the sounds of thudding footsteps, almost drowning out the pursuing contingent of quiet steps following in pace-
A group of hacked Atlesian knights escorted a group of armed fighters, each wearing a distinctive white mask, their leader marked with distinctive chameleon horns along their facade.
Watts would turn around with a humble smile, "Ah, so another delivery has arrived? Hm?"
The woman nodded to one of her companions, and they reached into a pack, pulling out a cooled container and handing it to her. As she turned, the woman awkwardly spoke-
"It might be the last shipment for a while."
The Doctor hummed, "Is that right?"
Watts would point toward one of the knights, who took the container from her before walking off into the facility, but soon, the man's innate curiosity got the better of him, as it often did-
"How many died trying to collect it?"
"Enough...y-you know how Atlas is."
"That I do, which is why I have to ask why you've missed the past few deliveries and why you're suddenly running low...Miss Amitola."
The White Fang bristled, some trying to raise their rifles, only for the knights to march closer, encircling them with their weapons drawn, forcing them to drop their firearms almost immediately-
All the while, the leader shuddered, "How...how do you know my name?"
Watts would shrug, reaching out a hand, clasping it over her mask before throwing it aside, seeing the patchy-tan skin beneath a terrified expression, "My dear, Ilya. Not a thing happens in this world without my knowing...why, you'd have to take me for a fool and be governed by more than a few to think it wise to allow the cult to collect their own god's essence...so, I'll ask you again."
"How many died trying to collect it?"
The Faunus winced, "T...the entire Vale contingent...they-they-"
Watts scoffed, "I know what the blasted morons did with it. Foolish children, wasting important resources for their own frivolous nonsense, but I suppose I can't blame them entirely."
He clicked his tongue, "I suppose I'll have to make do with what I have...though, there is something your organization can help me with, since you haven't quite lived up to your end of the bargain. Come with me, won't you?"
The inventor began the long walk back through the facility, and they only followed as the barrel of a rifle was shoved against their heads.
The Doctor clasped his hands behind his back, his false smile illuminated beneath the passing overhead lights, "Tell me, girl, do you know what the most profound question of all is?"
Ilya flinched, "I-Is it... what's the meaning of life?"
Watts smiled, shaking his head like a father would to their child, "No-no-no, my dear. Philosophic rubbish like that does little more than make the least intelligent of all seem that much more important. An ant knows to serve its queen, but the so-called 'great thinker' wastes their life wondering why the ant is content, and they are not."
The scientist turned, clapping his hands together with a smile, "Now, I'll ask again."
At that moment, each of the White Fang were shoved to their knees, a gun to their temple, the mere sight sending the leader into a panic, but a metallic fist crashed into her stomach, nearly shattering her aura on impact-
Watts casually crouched down to her eye level, "What is-"
She would scream, "I don't know!"
He completely ignored her, "-the most profound question of all?"
"I said I don't know! Please, just stop!"
...
...
His smile dropped, "You won't even try?"
The Doctor sighed, "The uncurious mind is nothing more than a waste.
His stare hardened, "Kill them."
The hallway was illuminated by a burst of colorful light as five bodies dropped to the ground.
Ilya would scream, "Why are you doing this!?"
Watts tilted his head, "Why, you ask?"
The man shrugged, "Because I feel like it. What other reason could I possibly need?"
Tears streaked down her face as she watched her allies' blood pool beneath her feet, "The White Fang have always honored our arrangements! They'll kill you for this!"
"No, they won't."
The Doctor raised a finger, "The lack of consistency and disregard for sending my assigned and vetted couriers shows weakness. With Atlas bearing down on your throats, I can only assume your leadership has gone into hiding, leaving unimportant leftovers to take the reigns, but such is the fickleness of life, isn't it?"
He hopped to his feet in a spin, splattering blood into the girl's face, "Every genus, every species, why even down to the arbitrary classes we sentient creatures assign ourselves. We all have our time in the sun, and when it's come to an end, we serve as the nutrients for our replacements, and frankly, I've grown tired of the human-Faunus paradigm, for you see-"
Watts motioned to the drones as they grabbed the girl by her arms, dragging her behind him as screens lowered from the ceiling, displaying various pieces of information Ilia couldn't hope to understand-
The Doctor raised his hands high, "The most profound question of all appears quite simple... 'What would happen if I do this?'... To many, it's nothing more than a passing curiosity, one which burns bright as a child but mellows into hollow indifference with age...apathy is the death of ingenuity, after all. This world of ours has grown bloated and fat from it."
"It's an endless game. The players may change, but the rules that govern them all stay the same. Those in power attempt to retain the status quo for as long as possible, while the weaker faction keeps global attention and pity on their movement until an opportunity arises for them to take a more advantageous position. Though it used to not be this way, you know?"
Watts would smile, "Your parents long ago, didn't they? Some boating accident or other?"
Ilia's tears fell harder, "... That's not what happened, and you know it."
"Why, of course I do. I did work for their government for a time... It's even possible I designed the bombs that dropped onto their fishing trawler after...what did the report say? The airmen 'mistook' it for an assault watercraft?"
He shrugged, "No matter, but I can presume you weren't raised with fairy tales and the such. No time for that when you're starving. You may be a Faunus, but at heart, all living beings are animals with instincts of their own...nevertheless, the task falls on me to enlighten you."
The scientist laughed, ignoring the passing drones coming to dispose of the corpses he left behind, "Its name has changed with time...some call it the Ever After, others merely called it a land of fantasy, with tales of wonder emanating from its confines, but those are merely fictitious lies disseminated from those that sealed the door and threw the keys away."
...
...
"It's a curse, you realize?"
"A rift between dreams and reality...a place where aspiration and hope meet the despair and ceaseless disappointment of the world around us, embodying the negativity of humanity, personified in a darkened place, filled with monsters far worse than any Grimm, the likes of which, you and I would struggle to imagine...for what else could such a place be, but a curse?"
Watts' smile stretched across his face, "I refused to believe in its existence until she enlightened me...and then I realized the solution to this neverending boredom...Humans and Faunus may contend for power, but we're merely competing predators in disagreement over prey and resources, and those inferiors have adapted to our presence-"
He reached out a hand, poking one of the scales along her skin, "Lizards can adapt to live in cities. Wolves change their behavior in high-pollution environments... don't you see, they evolved because of us! But we...we have stayed the same for so long! It must be fixed!"
Ilia recoiled, watching as the man grasped for something that wasn't there as he mumbled, "Behind those doors lie beings that can solve this crisis once and for all, turning the world into a struggle for survival...the strong will cull the weak and the dominant force will remain in neverending flux...but the Brothers, they stole that from us-"
Watts dropped his arms onto her shoulders, "The gods took them from us! Making a pact to depart the world forever more in exchange for their containment...I have spent many years trying to undo this and am so close to seeing it come to fruition...that boy...the one those cultists worship as a deity himself, he's one of them!"
The Doctor motioned the drone to bring him the case, and with a click, it opened, revealing a sloshing vile of blood, the same blood the teen had fired during his clash with Adam Taurus-
Watts raised it, "Inside of his genetic code is something otherworldly, something that orders his cells to destroy biological matter...not by chemical interaction like any other toxin, but an engrained aspect of their existence, but such a being could never occur naturally!...Do you have any idea what this means!?"
Ilia just kept crying, "Y-you-You're insane!"
The scientist cackled, "He was made by a like-minded individual...my predecessor and I would truly be a fool not to allow their work to be continued, now, wouldn't I?...I must congratulate you... you'll be a part of this work, my dear child."
He glanced toward the knight holding the teen in place, "Take her to an interrogation chamber and do whatever necessary to get as much audio out of her as possible...if this next phase is to work, I'll need to synthesize a convincing impression."
Ilia would be dragged off screaming, and Watts would stay where he was, mumbling about perfection as he stared at the red vial in his hands.
...
On the coast of Vale.
The waves kept coming and going, and the sun kept shining.
A pair of yellow eyes stared at the giant glowing orb beneath a raised hand, soon adjusting an umbrella to block it out once more before reclining into their seat and going back to their book.
Across from her, a certain sorcerer would yawn, turning a page of his comic, "You really don't like the sun, huh, Blake?"
The Faunus shrugged as she read, "I don't like sunburn, and the heat just reminds me of home."
"You could wear less black. I heard that absorbs lots of heat or somethin'."
"And I could write weird fanfiction about you. Is that what you want?"
"What!?"
The teen lowered her book and sat up to stare at him, the feline intensity sending a shiver down his spine, "I could do it, and no one could stop me. Pick your poison, OTP...OCs, I could even work with a crack-ship if you want."
"I don't know what that means!"
"How about you and Penny? That just sounds like a Recipe for Chaos."
The vessel held his head, looking around like he was delirious, "WHAT IS HAPPENING!? I DON'T WANNA DATE A TOASTER! HOW WOULD THAT EVEN-"
"Hey-"
He looked down at Blake, who was giving him a tiny smile, "I'm kidding."
Yuji slumped into the sand, holding his chest, "Seriously, don't say weird stuff like that. Weiss would kill me if she thought somethin' was up."
Blake huffed, pulling out a tiny notebook, "Character traits...Weiss Schnee...prone to jealousy...mark that under the tsundere trope."
Itadori squinted, crawling over, leaning over to glance at the page, "What are you doin'?"
"Taking notes."
"...Do you seriously write that fan fiction stuff?"
The cat-girl hummed in approval, "I told you I like writing."
"Yeah, but like...about your friends?"
She side-eyed him, "We're friends?"
"Oh, uh...sorry, I didn't mean to cross that-"
She rolled her eyes, lightly pushing him over, "I'm kidding."
Yuji laid there for a second-
...
...
"So, are we?"
Blake froze, raising a hand in uncertainty, "I don't know. I mean, it's not bad, and hanging out like this has been...kind of nice-"
The Faunus sat up, putting her feet in the sand as she faced him, "You get what it's like having to live with the guilt of it all...and it's not as if I want my team to know that feeling, but-"
Yuji nodded, "It's lonely."
"...Yeah."
"Look, I get it. After Adam, I know it's probably hard to even be near me."
"Don't go there. I've... I've had a lot of time to think things over with that, and it's not like I'm a Saint either."
Blake straightened out her long black hair, "I'm trying to suck it up and live my life the right way. I can't keep holding grudges over things I could have done better about. I joined the White Fang, I followed orders, even Adam was getting worse, and that's on me."
Yuji slowly stood, walking over, motioning to the open space beside her, and with a nod of acceptance from Blake, he sat next to her-
For a few seconds, the vessel was quiet, staring out at the ocean, "I've killed a lot of people, you know?"
Blake bit her cheek, "When you live like us, isn't it guaranteed to be that way?"
"Not always, but sometimes, it feels like it is when people you care about are involved."
...
...
Yuji sighed, "Life's an endless game of tests and challenges, and no matter how much preachin' people do about it and the 'right way,' there's a hard choice here and there. You gotta make sacrifices for the people you care about, even if it hurts you more than anything... I'm guessin' Adam was for you what Choso is for me."
Blake gave a small laugh, "You really like talking about your brother, don't you?"
Itadori smiled, "He just sets a good example, is all. Everything he does, he does for us, me and all his other little brothers."
...
...
"He killed innocent people, you know? Lots of 'em."
The Faunus looked down at the sand, "No choice?"
"He had a choice, but it woulda meant giving something precious away. Life was just unfair to some of my brothers; they never coulda fit in with normal people, and if Choso could, that meant leaving them behind, so-"
"I get it."
"You do?"
Blake twiddled her pen in her hand, "It's a false choice. To an outsider, it looks like there was always more than one answer, but to the person involved? The one with things on the line? It's just a straight path."
"Was the White Fang like that?"
"Sort of... it's just... Huntsmen schools...even regular ones, don't accept students from Menagerie because of the 'risks' so there's no escaping it, and when your choices are either starve to death or wait for an Atlesian airstrike to kill you or the people you love...why not join up? Why not give the shitty life you've been given for something greater than yourself?"
Blake pulled off her bow, letting her extra ears flutter with the breeze, "I told myself that for the longest time, that I was doing this so that someday, kids who grew up on the same streets as I did wouldn't have to go through the same hell, but all I did was help make things worse, and now I have to live with my mistakes-"
"...my big, dumb, rotten mistakes."
Yuji patted her on the shoulder, "You still made a good choice when given the chance."
"And what's that?"
"You changed, and I'm not sayin' some cheesy line about learning to do better. You and me, we both know that doesn't just magically erase the shitty things we've done, but-"
He smiled, "It takes real guts and grit to give up a whole way of life to try something different and improve. You died as a curse so that you could live as a person. Don't pretend I don't see you tryin' to hang out with the group more."
Blake awkwardly flushed, looking aside, "You're just...good at convincing people."
"Nah, I just like yapping, but I'm glad that you're putting in the effort, even if we aren't friends."
...
...
"Yet."
"Hm?"
The Faunus side-eyed him, "I said we aren't quite friends yet, but... I'd like to be someday."
Yuji's smile grew, "Great! What's it gonna take?"
"Well, I have to find a way to pay you back."
"You don't owe me anythi-"
"I don't like debts."
"Yeah, but like...whaddya owe me for?"
"For getting over me shooting you."
"We both knew that wouldn't do anything."
"Yeah, but...not gonna lie, I'd be pretty pissed if it was me...well, I'd be dead if that happened to me, but...yeah, and-"
The cat-girl huffed, sounding somewhat like a hiss, "Stop distracting me, or I'm gonna do that fanfic thing! Just say what you want."
Yuji hummed, "...Anything?"
"As long as it's not weird."
"...define weird."
"...What do you want?"
...
...
Yuji's face became chiseled, "Can I pet you?"
...
...
Blake glared, "If this some kind of joke, I swear-"
"It's not a joke. I just really wanna pet you."
"I...I don't know if I should be offended by that-"
Yuji raised a hand, "Blake-"
"What?"
"Hand to God, on my life. If you were in Japan, you would be famous almost immediately."
The Faunus bristled, her eyes briefly sparkling as she imagined herself at a book signing event, giving out copies of...the sacred texts, making her instinctively scoot closer, "Go on."
"We don't have Faunus, like, at all...well-"
Yuji rolled his eyes, "Faunus just have, like...one animal part, right?"
"Usually, but I've seen some with a few. Why?"
"Would you consider like...a talking panda to be a Faunus?"
Blake deadpanned, "That... that's just a panda...wait, you know a talking panda?"
"Yeah, I can show you some pics later. Panda got super cute after gettin' all tiny, anyway. Japan doesn't got any Faunus, but-"
Yuji pointed a finger at her feline ears, "They love cat girls."
Blake tilted her head, "...why?"
"They're cute."
He leaned closer, whispering, "Japanese people love cute things. They even get our idols to sing songs with fake cat ears."
The Faunus stared at him like he was from another planet. The mere idea of an entire person finding the thing that made her an abomination to humanity...cute, was weird. "You don't really seem the type to like stuff like that."
"Oh, I'm not, but Todo is. He makes me go to all kinds of shows with him."
Yuji smiled, pointing a thumb at himself, "I might not get it, but I gotta support by brothers whenever I can!"
Blake's extra ears twitched, "And...why the petting?"
"One reason."
Itadori puffed himself up in a pride he didn't know he had, "I want to be the first Japanese person in history to pet a real cat girl for the bragging rights...if you're cool with it."
...
...
Blake closed her eyes in thought, "...Just petting?"
His face was solid like marble, "Yes."
"...fine."
He shot up, "Really!?"
She awkwardly raised a finger, shoving it in his face, "Two conditions."
"Name 'em! Name 'em!"
"One. you can't tell anyone I write fanfiction about the people I know-"
"Wait, I thought that was a joke."
She ignored him, raising a second finger, "Two, you're going to help me write my book."
"Eh? You're writin' a book?"
"I want to, and you're going to help me."
Blake poked fingers together, "You've probably got more interesting stories than mine...well-"
She dropped her head, "I'd probably get thrown in jail if I told mine."
Yuji's eyes went white, "The Americans would kidnap and experiment on me if I told mine."
She went dull, "Seriously?"
"Yeah, seriously-seriously...well, they'd try. I ain't really scared of guns, 'cause you know-"
She made scissors with her fingers, "Snip-snip."
"Yeah, snip-snip."
They were speaking the language of the gods.
Yuji hummed, "So, what's it gonna be about?"
Blake flipped through her notebook, "At first, I thought I wanted to do something more fiction-related, you know... high schoolers with powers, maybe a little romance, but we sorta live that now, don't we?"
It's also the most generic concept ever, totally not reflective of the people who write it.
The vessel nodded, "Basically."
"I was thinking, since I want to do better...No, I...I want everyone to do better, humans and Faunus. So, what if I write my friends' stories? Focus on what shaped them into the people they are and their perspectives on things, then tell mine at the end?"
"Are you tryna change peoples' minds or-"
"I don't know...maybe no one will read it, but...I want something to show that I tried and that I'm still trying to move forward from what I used to be."
...
...
Yuji dropped a hand on her shoulder, startling the quiet teen as she saw him grinning at her, "I think it's a great idea!... Just one thing-"
Blake squinted, "What's that?"
"Can you call it: 'A Cat's Tail?'"
He smiled
She didn't respond-
...
...
Yuji sweated, "Uh, Blake...whaddya thin-"
The world went dark as she grabbed him by his shirt, looming overhead, "I will ship you with Ren if you say that again."
"I'll be go-"
"I'll draw it, too."
He bowed in shame, "I won't do it again, I swear!"
...
...
Blake sighed, tilting her head to the side, "Fine...just get on with it."
Itadori's smile quickly returned as he raised a hand, plopping it onto her head, gently circling back and forth, "Heh, cute."
Her yellow eyes shifted away, "Shut it."
Seconds went by as he continued the motion, scratching her feline ears, "Your hair is real soft-"
*Purrrr-Purrrr
Yuji paused-
Blake froze in horror-
The sorcerer opened his mouth, "Did...you just-"
The Faunus glared, "Don't say it."
"Did you just pur-"
Blake hissed, swiping his face with a hand, sending the sorcerer tumbling to the sand below, "AH! MY BREAD AND BUTTER!"
The Faunus covered her face in shame, running off toward the house and pushing her notebook into her chest, secretly taking notes.
...
Inside
Weiss lay on a couch, holding her scroll above her head as she glossed over her study materials-
Well, she was trying to.
She flipped to another series of questions, but a different one kept bouncing around her head.
What was her future going to be?
The Schnee groaned, sinking into the soft cushions-
This used to be so easy.
Weiss planned to work diligently as a Huntress, and when the time came for her father to step down, she'd take his place as the CEO of SDC on her own merits, not just through nepotism but by proving she was capable of handling responsibility.
Through that established trust, she could reform the company to something more-
Something more-
...
...
Drat.
Another thing had changed about her in such a short time.
It used to be about efficiency and profits, but now she worried about making things' better for everyone,' whatever on Remnant that meant.
This all started because of-
Because of-
Him-
That idiot-
No-
Her idiot.
The heiress turned bright red, digging her face into a cushion as she kicked her legs in the air, the thought too much for her to handle.
Weiss only made more Weiss noises as she remembered their shared night and the biggest risk she had ever taken in her life-
She didn't even think-
She just-
Wanted it and did it.
And they kissed.
...
...
The Schnee lightly giggled, silently glad no one was here to see her act like this.
Now, they were going to be part of each other's future if things continued the way they were.
Would he come with her to SDC?
Maybe she could make him head of security?
Put their offices right next to each other?
...and make his uniform a nice suit like the one he had on during their dance?
...A workplace romance all for herself with possible handholding in the office?
How lewd.
The white-haired girl giggled more as she daydreamed, slowly sliding off the couch and onto her feet as she meandered aimlessly.
It would certainly be hard to get any work done with him around-
With his pink hair poking over the cubicle and that silly little grin he always gave her-
He'd want to spend their breaks together, and she might indulge him at times when she wasn't busy, of course.
It would make for quite the distracti-
Her foot went over open air.
It was too late to salvage this situation.
"WAHHHHH!"
Weiss fell down the stairs.
...
...
Things were looking up.
Life couldn't feel more relaxed.
...
At the same time
Ironwood sat beside Ozpin's desk, one leg crossed over the other as he scanned over data sets and informational packets, "And you're certain these are legitimate?"
In his hands were depictions of decrepit apartment complexes, with various crates with weapon symbols strewn across-
He dully looked over his shoulder to Winter as she stood at the ready, hands clasped behind her back, her voice firm, "After the incident, we re-vetted all of our informants. I can say without a doubt that those are White Fang installations, housing significant military hardware."
The General sighed, "Trying to hide behind innocents, like always. In all my years, I've seen the White Fang change from something with a noble goal to a means of enriching its leadership and nothing more."
...
...
He looked at her, his visage cold as steel, "Give the go-ahead, general bombardment, at least six waves of aircraft. Flatten the surrounding neighborhoods if you have to."
Ozpin sighed from his desk, "James, we both know you'll only radicalize the survivors if you engage in open-"
"They showed no care for our lives, and so I'll show none for theirs in kind."
The General stood, walking over to put a metallic hand on his old friend's desk, "You're losing your touch, Oz. What happened to the man who vaporized would-be usurpers to the fragile democracy he helped found in this very kingdom?"
"That is a necessity. What you're committing is cruelty."
"And they aren't?"
"This is civilization versus barbarity! You don't win hearts and minds by stooping to the level of terrorists! We're supposed to be more morally upright than them, not less! Or have you forgotten that!?"
"Do you really think they wouldn't flatten the kingdoms if they had the means?"
"That isn't the point! How are we ever to have peace if we live a perpetual cycle of revenge!"
The Headmaster pushed himself upright using his cane, "You haven't lived long enough to see it, but if you function off of 'an eye for an eye,' it only ends in blindness to your own hatred. There are no winners when everything is rubble."
Ironwood shook his head, "Atlas and Mantle rely on strength and authority to retain our stability. Refusing to respond sends a message of weakness and puts everything I built at risk. You weren't willing to take the boy's offer. Now, this is our only option."
"He'd be throwing his future away for something he didn't cause!"
"Stop lying to yourself!
*SLAM
Ironwood's fist slammed against the desk, splintering off wooden fragments, "That boy is lying to us about something, and I've grown tired of you refusing to acknowledge it."
The General circled his desk, getting in Ozpin's face. "Are you so desperate for someone to crawl to you for guidance that you don't notice the snake wrapping around your neck?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he the one who saved your life after your own overconfidence let a band of flesh-hungry maniacs come mere feet away from murdering your biggest sponsor's daughters!?"
"Ah, yes. The attack he chose not to warn us of in advance. Such a brilliant display of respect after everything you've done for him, isn't it?"
"And what good would it achieve? None of us knew those androids of yours were compromised. What if they initiated the attack in a less centralized location and wholesale slaughtered innocent civilians using your own machines?"
Ozpin's cane slammed down between them, "Your kingdom could have been blamed for an utter massacre! Do you really think the government of Vale would buy your claims of a 'software glitch' if their people were lying dead on the streets!? It would've meant war! If those demented fools were just a bit more intelligent, they could've thrown the entire global order into chaos, but all you think of is a missed warning."
The Director stared him down, "All your claims of wisdom, and you're nothing more than an angry child to me. I've seen fools like you rise and fall more times than you could possibly fathom, more focused on leaving an untarnished record in their wake than proper governance."
Ironwood scoffed, "Don't talk to me of time; you've plenty of it, and what have you to show for it? You were the King of Vale. You led armies in a time of war. You created the flawed system we have in place today, or have you forgotten that?"
The General towered over him, "The world is changing, and you're so blinded by your own fantasies of normalcy that you can't even see it. Salem is already a threat enough as it is, and that boy you've taken in as your own is connected to a being even worse than her. He's keeping things from us, haven't you realized it?"
He circled the Headmaster, "Alistair said it himself about that boy: there's more than one person in that head of his, one that caused his catatonic state...one that Itadori lied to you about."
The immortal shook his head, "Mock my failings over the ages all you like, but I've seen what impatience does. It's a disease that rots entire lands and perpetuates hatred, and for what? To satisfy the feelings of self-importance by men who won't be remembered beyond a single generation?"
Ozpin looked him up and down, "How much of you is metal by now? Just how afraid of death are you? Prolonging your own lifespan in some foolish attempt at rectifying issues you've only made worse, you're pathetic."
The immortal raised a hand to his chest, "What I have...what Yuji Itadori has is nothing more than a curse. He and I are alike in ways you can't even fathom."
Ironwood stopped, "What has he told you?"
"He was created by a being with ulterior motives, forced into a life he didn't want for himself and is doomed to never experience a natural death from age...do you have any idea what that's like?"
Ozpin sighed, reaching out to grab his mug to take a sip, "To live through the same slog over and over, re-experiencing the same foolish mistakes from each successive generation. To watch the people you care for wither and vanish over the horizon, and as you want nothing more than to follow them into oblivion, you awaken on yet another field to continue where you left off."
His cane shook as his grip tightened, "It would be so easy to quit. To just give in to the whims of the world and slip into the peaceful bliss of insanity. I have fought beings that you can't even comprehend. You speak of Ryomen? I've died to him and seen the carnage he's capable of for myself, but I will not let that cloud my judgment. I will not condemn someone for the happenstance of their own birth nor for the mistrust they've gained from suffering."
His glasses lowered, revealing his firm brown eyes, "He and I were made by beings that decided they wished to play god. We live through the consequences of their actions with no end in sight. Who am I to judge if there's more than one soul within him when I've nearly lost count of how many I've cohabited with? His circumstances and actions warrant investigation, I grant you that, but need I ask, if he was truly not on your side, why would he save your life?"
...
...
Ironwood's gaze softened just a bit, "... You've really decided to take him as your own, haven't you?"
"Yuji is the only person in this entire world who can understand what it's like, and it may be selfish, even foolish, but...I think I've earned that much."
Ozpin sighed, "There may be nothing normal about my existence, but I'd like to know what it's like having a proper family once again. He may even outlive me someday if Salem is somehow defeated. Someone needs to ensure he doesn't fall down the wrong path...but-"
"You may be right."
The Director gazed out a window at the bustling campus below, "Things are falling into motion, and if he isn't ready to discuss them. We can always get them from another source."
The General crossed his arms, "I know I suggested it, but...are you sure? We only get three of those every hundred years."
"A hundred years may as well be the blink of an eye. The seasons turn, the people are replaced, but I persevere, even if I wear a different face."
"That may be, but we can't simply stroll into Mistral and take a relic for ourselves. Transporting a Maiden with a military escort isn't wise. It would draw unwanted attention."
"Salem's agents?"
Ironwood shook his head, "Something is happening in that city, something that Lionhart is keeping secret, but my informants have kept me up to date. Prospective Huntsmen have been vanishing at an alarming rate-"
"Grimm?"
"All within city limits."
...
...
Ozpin nodded, "That may work to our advantage."
"In what way?"
The Director raised his mug, "We do owe teams RWBY and PYRN an internship, considering they've already missed the allotted window due to their suspensions...what if they just so happen to coincide with an 'investigation' into these rumors?"
Ironwood's eyes widened, "I understand...a smokescreen. We utilize the moment and turn it into a 'state visit,' and with Itadori's reputation...it would keep Lionhart busy and let us arrive with a military escort without raising any eyebrows."
"And likely solve the issue of the disappearances while we're at it. Two birds, one stone, my old friend."
The General scoffed, "You really think those students can solve something like that?"
"Not at all...on their own, at least. They'll be assigned to...-"
Ozpin glanced toward Winter, mentally picturing a certain alcoholic Qrow next to her, "Experienced Huntsmen."
The Schnee suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
...
*Slap-Slap...TWACK
Two figures raced along the sandy beaches, swinging two elongated weapons as they collided with a wet smash, sending water particles exploding in every direction-
The impact sent them sliding back as Pyrrha took off once more, raising her 'blade' for an overhead strike, screaming as it came soaring down-
Yuji raised his tool of war sideways, letting her collide with his impenetrable defense as they fought for control.
The redhead smirked, ignoring the dropletes of sweat pouring down her face, "You could've told me you knew how to sword fight. We could've been practice buddies."
Yuji tilted his head, "Eh? We aren't buddies already?"
She paled, "No-no-no! That's not what I-"
There was a glint in the vessel's eye as he jumped back, putting the end of his pool noodle in his mouth, aiming at her face on the other side, and with a mighty blow of air-
*PTOOOOO
Pyrrha was blinded by salt water, stumbling back as the sorcerer raised his weapon toward her-
"Just give up, Pyr. You're outgunned or...out...noodled-"
The redhead stretched out a hand-
Use the force, Pyrrha.
Yuji sighed, "Come on. We both know there's no metal in sand."
...
...
Itadori took a step forward, giving a dangerous smile, "Just admit you lost, and you won't get slapped on the back with a wet pool noodle! It'll bruise!"
A vein bulged on the invincible girl's forehead, making his smile fade, "Hey, don't push yourself. We're just-"
*Drip-drop
He saw a green tube overhead, stretching all the way back to the house-
Yuji could only close his eyes in acceptance, "Clever gir-"
*SPRRRRRRRRRR
Pyrrha doused him with a hose, ending the battle in one fell swoop.
Itadori lay defeated on the sand, and as she stood over him, Pyrrha gave a grin of her own, "Oh, don't be a drama queen. I had it on mist."
"I dunno...I might be losin' my touch...Pyr, I'm-"
He raised a pink conch, "A shell of my former self...eh? e-GAWEASFAWEEAD!"
She sprayed him again.
"No puns."
He finally raised his hands in defeat, "Fine, you win. Nice move with the hose, though. I thought you were gonna try and pick up a shipwreck or somethin'."
The redhead laughed, letting the object hit the ground, "I'm not Yang. This was just for fun, but I have to say. You're actually quite good with a sword, even if it was just a playfight. Who taught you?"
Yuji dropped his head, staring up at the clouds, "Who taught you?"
"My dad, now answer the question-"
She smiled, "Captain's orders."
He gave a mock salute, "Yes, ma'am. I know lots of guys that use swords, and I was one of those guys for a month, so...I got his skills, kinda."
"...I don't follow."
"You know souls?"
"...Yes, I know souls."
"We switched ours for a month to train, so I was a forty-year-old geezer named Kusakabe for a while."
Pyrrha put a hand on her hip, grazing the red cloth covering her torso, "I...you know what? I'm so used to this, I won't even-"
...
...
"No-no-no, it's bothering me, it's bothering me alot. What are you talking about?"
Yuji hummed, "What?"
"You...were someone else? Like some sort of life swap movie?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
He slowly started making a sand angel, "I had to learn barriers and stuff, and without much time, it was down to the wire, see-"
Yuji raised a finger, "Bodies have techniques and skills engraved into 'em, so it's muscle memory, and if ya put someone else in yours for a while, they'll figure it out faster than they would have on their own."
Pyrrha slapped her palms into her face, "I would never do that in a million years."
"Yeah, it was pretty weird, but I learned barriers and reverse cursed technique out of it. That's how I regrew my arm back on the mountain."
"Why do you always drag our conversations in the weirdest possible directions!? Like...what am I supposed to do with this information!?"
"I dunno, I just like talkin'."
"Well, then...talk about something else!"
"You're gonna bring up cartoons if I do-"
"N...No...well, now that you mention it. There was a recent episode where Mr. Pineapple accidentally poked Mrs. Avacodo with his leaves and needed to find a way to make it up to her, and I thought there was a neat moral lesson to be had in-"
The redhead started rambling about children's cartoons.
It was hard to believe that the strongest prospective Huntress of their generation was like this in her free time.
Yuji slumped into the sand, bracing himself for another video essay he couldn't hit pause on.
But it made Pyrrha happy, so that made it worth it.
...
Later
The waves splashed and splashed, followed by the clink of glass as a tiny umbrella swirled around a cup of colorful liquid.
Neo looked up at her larger umbrella as she aimlessly floated along the ocean on a colorful innertube before glancing down at the sorcerer floating beside her, making a few signs with a hand.
The vessel was fast asleep, snoring away.
He didn't see, and so she tilted her drink to the side and let the cold beverage douse his forehead-
"RE-HEE-HEE-HEE!"
Yuji made what could only be called a Scooby-Doo scream, dunking himself underwater before coming back up with a shiver, "Not cool!"
Neo smiled mouthing the word, 'nice pun.'
"It ain't no pun! Well...is it?"
He looked very confused, going perfectly still to think as he sank beneath the waves.
When the sorcerer emerged, she silently laughed, and as they floated there for a moment, Yuji raised a brow, "Hey-"
Neo tilted her head, mouthing a, 'what?'
"What're you gonna do once you're done with the whole stealing thing?"
...
...
'Who says I'm done with it?'
"You did."
She waved a hand, 'For now...till the heat dies down at least...bad girls like doing bad things, you know?'
Itadori shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat, and since we're already floatin', just do what you do."
...
...
'You aren't going to tell me to behave?'
She leaned closer, 'Because I won't.'
The sorcerer casually yawned, letting the water carry him wherever "I ain't the moral police. Do whatever you want, as long as it don't hurt nobody."
'I'm a thief, you realize? Who knows who I'll rob next... might wanna stop meeeeee.'
"Being a diehard for the law is somethin' people only do if they've never had it hard before. It isn't a crime to wanna survive another day...at least not to me."
'Oh, I take a lot more than I need.'
"Okay."
'Get mad.'
"Nah."
'You suck at your job.'
"Probably."
Neo snapped a finger, and a floating sign appeared above his head, 'Weirdo.'
Yuji laughed, "I guess I am a weirdo then, but what does it say if you're still tryna hang out with me?"
The ice-cream-colored girl shrugged, making a similar sign appear above her head, making them both laugh.
Yuji stared up at the glaring sun, "The only people who care about small stuff have too much time on their hands. So, you steal some stuff, live it big, and do it all over again? So what? The world goes round. I only have a problem with it if people stop caring about lives."
...
...
'Does that apply to everyone?'
"Whaddya mean?"
Neo made more hand signs, 'The White Fang are bad, but so are the Kingdoms. Atlas has been brutalizing Managerie forever and has been colonizing Vacuo for decades. We used to run big heists out there. None of the locals ever reported it because they hate the Schnees that much, so I'll ask you this-'
'How far are you willing to take it?'
Yuji hummed, "What's with the weird question?"
She shrugged, 'I just like watching shit go down, and I might stick around if it sounds fun enough.'
"You think I want your crazy-ass around?"
'I keep things interesting.'
"Yeah, fair."
The sorcerer sighed, "I don't like assumin' things about people. Everyone always deserves a fair shot, so planning some downfall-type crap about maybes just doesn't sit right with me."
He raised his hand, staring at his clenched fingers, "I ain't gonna try and say I know the answers that'll stop people from hating each other, 'cause I don't. Neither does anyone who says they do. People will find the dumbest reasons to keep feeling the way they do. It's easier to live in a delusion that someone's out to get you than admit they might have it as bad as you."
Yuji flipped over, staring the multicolored girl down, "The world isn't fair to anyone, and that's just about the one equal thing in it, but the problems start when people just can't leave each other alone. If it came down to it, I don't care if it was the White Fang, those cultists, or even that Ironwood and his army. If they hurt innocent people-"
His eyes slightly spiraled into a golden hue, "I'd kill 'em without a thought."
Neo hardly reacted, her smile ever-present, 'They'd probably say you're just as bad as them.'
"Does that mean anything?"
She tilted her head.
"High and mighty types love claiming the moral high ground about the awful things they do, and they only start to matter when it's their turn to die in the machine they helped make. If you kill without a thought, then don't cry when someone does the same to you."
'That means it'll happen to you someday, you know?'
"Then someone takes my place."
...
...
Neo raised her drink and took a sip, 'I think I'm starting to understand you, Yuji Itadori.'
Her innertube drifted closer, the overhead umbrella shading them from the sun's rays as she mouthed the words, 'You're just looking for an excuse to die, aren't you?'
The vessel didn't react, "No. I was born for it."
'And I was born to be a homeless little wretch, selling her body on the street for scraps, but here I am, so what makes you so special?'
"It's just how it goes."
'How it usually goes, or how you want it to go?'
"If you knew what I do, you'd know I cause more trouble than I'm worth."
...
...
'I guess we're alike that way.'
Neo smiled, 'You're afraid to be alone, aren't you? Just like I'm afraid of what I'll do if I ever lose the only person who ever said I mattered in this sad...awful little world of ours.'
...
...
The silence that followed was short but all-consuming.
She nudged him with a foot, giving a suggestive wink, 'Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you."
The vessel deadpanned, "I have a girlfriend now. You gotta stop sayin' that stuff."
She raised a finger, 'For now, you do. That can change.'
"Seriously, stop doin' that."
...
...
'No.'
...
Later that night
The campfire crackled as flames consumed a small pile of wood, sending waves of flickering light over the darkened beach.
Nora nudged the small inferno with a stick, "Hehe, burn, burn, buuurn!"
Weiss watched her with unease, "Isn't that a red flag?"
Ren glanced at her indifferently, "Crimson, but you haven't seen her around electricity."
Lie stretched his arms to the sky with a yawn, "She got us kicked out of an orphanage after stickin' her tongue in an outlet."
...
...
The heiress squinted, "And...she was alright?"
"Define alright."
Nora tossed a pile of dry leaves onto the fire, cackling as the blaze shot into the air.
The pink-eyed teen shrugged, "If Nora can survive lightning, then if she wants to lick a wall outlet, who am I to stop her?
He looked so defeated when he said that.
Ruby hummed, "So...choose your battles?"
"Look, I gotta stop her from eating enough sugar to kill an elephant. I can't be mad about the little things."
Pyrrha gently grabbed the ginger by the collar, dragging her back, "This is why I said she needs to go on a diet."
Nora's blue eyes flashed backward, "Oh, yeah?"
"It's for your own goo-WAAAAA!"
Nora grabbed the girl's arm with one hand and flipped her overhead, slamming her into the sand before sitting on her stomach, "Say that to thunder thighs! Now die!...but not really 'cause I love you!"
Everyone ignored Pyrrha's life-or-death struggle against an unstoppable force.
Ruby tried nudging her sister to talk, but Yang was still upset about something, taking occasional glances at the sorcerer sitting across from her.
Social awkwardness, be damned. The silence would only make it worse.
Seriously, trying to say something funny or just trying to keep a conversation going, only for no one to respond, was the worst feeling ever.
The kind of memory you cringe about days after it happened...more like years, but yeah.
The hooded girl scooted closer to the fire, "You guys wanna tell scary stories?"
Yuji hummed, "I dunno, you might not be able to handle 'em."
"My birthday's Halloween, I can take it! I'm a spooky girl!"
Says the girl that's five foot four.
The vessel shivered, "No...you can't. It's too much."
Ren tilted his head, "Alright, let's hear it."
"No... it's-"
The sorcerer's head dropped, "I don't want you guys to lose sleep over it."
Weiss rolled her eyes, nudging him with a foot from the side with a tiny smile, "You aren't going to scare us with that act of yours."
"It's not an act...but if you're so sure..."
The sorcerer kept his head down, with the shadowed light of the campfire hiding his face from sight, "There once was a man, just like you or I,-"
"But guests never came; he'd just sigh and lie."
"His face, hidden deep, bore layers of stress,"
"And shiny, soft gloves were his only caress."
"Why wear these, they'd ask, if they happened to roam?
But few would discover this man all alone."
"One day, he grew weary, tired of the lies,
So he ventured outside to seek a surprise."
"How can I mend this heart locked in despair?
What can bring back the joy that was once in the air?"
"Then a sound caught his ear, a soft, gentle meow,
A cat, black as midnight, sat there, somehow."
Everyone turned to look at Blake.
The Faunus deadpanned, "I hate all of you so much."
Ruby scooted closer, dropping her head in the girl's lap. With a sigh, Blake started running a hand through her hair.
Yuji cleared his throat, "He tipped his old hat and to her, he said,
"Would you like to come home? I have a warm little bed.'"
"The cat eyed his hair and then failed to gaze at his face,
Yet the man did not mind; he embraced her with grace."
"So together they wandered, and together they'd stay,
But something felt wrong in their quaint little bay."
"The man hid his face, though the cat would persist,
Even when she'd hiss at the love that he missed."
"Years drifted by, yet little would change,
For he locked himself tight, in a world so estranged."
"The cat, filled with wonder, began to inquire,
What lay underneath this mask of desire?"
"One day, she crept close, with a flick of her tail,
And she found a small room where secrets unveil."
"She peeked through the door, her heart full of dread,
And there stood a mirror reflecting his head."
"The man went all still, the room felt a chill,
As floorboards creaked softly, they echoed his will."
"I've given you life, and you've come to pry?
Can you bear the weight of the truth or just lie?"
"His gloves fell to ground, revealing a hand,
So fragile, so frail, in this strange, lonely land."
"'What can you see?' a soft voice then spoke,
And another replied, 'I've been lost in this cloak.'"
"A flash of bright light, and there, much to her fright,
Stood a man unlike any, in shadows and light."
"He-"
Yuji curled up, wrapping his arms around his torso, "And he-"
...
...
"He"
Everyone leaned closer.
...
...
"BLAHHHHHH"
The sorcerer's hands shot out as two open mouths screeched from his palms.
There was a collective scream of terror, well, except Neo and Ren because one was mute and the other was Ren.
Yuji fell out of his seat, laughing hysterically, "Oh crap! You should see the looks on your faces!"
Neo raised her scroll and took a picture with a flash, soon putting it in a folder called, 'cool.'
Meanwhile, Nora and Pyrrha had stopped fighting-
The redhead just stared, "ARE THOSE REAL!?"
The ginger pushed off, crawling toward the vessel, sticking a finger in one, "Oooh, sticky."
Itadori violently gagged, rolling away, "EUGH! I taste the sand on your finger!"
Ren stared, "You can actually taste with those?"
Yuji stopped rolling, horse-kicking Nora into Ren, who locked her in place with a grapple, "They're mouths, ain't they?"
Lie looked down at the ginger, "Why'd you put your hand in there?"
Nora shrugged, "You miss every shot you don't take."
"What was the end game?"
"Finger in hand-mouth."
"...What?"
Yuji spat to the side, "I hate that I know she doesn't wash her hands."
Pyrrha clammed up as everyone stared at her, "W...why is it my job!?"
Blake indifferently hummed, "You are kind of a team mom."
The redhead pouted, "I'm so not a mom..."
Her green eyes flickered toward her partner's hands, "Can you please get rid of those?"
Yuji nodded, ''Kay."
The sorcerer's hands violently shook as the mouths receded into normal skin.
Blake reached into her pocket, pulling out a notebook, only to realize Ruby had passed out from shock in her lap-
Rest in Peace.
The cat-girl scribbled notes, "You can just...make more mouths?"
Yuji shrugged, "If you understand your soul enough, you can do all kindsa stuff...the hard part is hooking them up to your lungs and not messin' up your organs. It's not real practical in a fight, though. Takes a lotta energy to maintain 'em."
He looked up at Weiss, who looked like she was about to puke, "You good?"
The Schnee put a hand to her face, "...No."
Weiss was currently picturing the times they held hands, wondering if a tongue could've licked her palm at any time and she wouldn't have been prepared.
Yuji had succeeded in traumatizing almost everyone present with the realization that he could just do gross things with his body on a whim.
That sounded really bad without context, didn't it?
...
Later
When things had settled down and everyone was in their respective seat, Blake cleared her throat, then made an awkward noise when everyone looked at her-
"So...uh...things have been kind of weird since all that stuff happened, right? When I ran off and-"
The Faunus sensed the awkwardness, "Yeah...I-I wanted to see if we can fix that, and-"
She awkwardly gave a toothy smile that felt way too forced, "I'm writing a book!...I was hoping...you guys...might wanna help?"
A second passed before Ruby took the lead, "For sure! Um...what's it about?"
"You...guys...everyone, really. It's just-"
The Faunus explained the same concept as before
Moments later, Pyrrha would excitedly clap her hands, "That sounds lovely! I'd be happy to help if I can!"
Weiss checked her nails indifferently, "As long as you don't misquote me. I have an image to maintai-OW!"
*Donk
Ruby threw a chocolate bar at her, resulting in a chase the candy-smeared heiress had no hope of winning.
Yang crossed her arms, "...Yeah, whatever."
Yuji awkwardly rubbed his neck at how icy she was being.
Nora bounced in her seat, "Oh! Ren can help with that!"
Everyone stopped, and as Blake's bow twitched, she tilted her head, "He can?"
"Yeah! With his semblance!"
...
...
Ruby stopped midrun, "You have one of th-OOOF"
Weiss shouted in triumph, "Got you!"
"I'm sowwy-PFTOOO!"
Her face was drowned in chocolate, which quickly turned into a war of Weiss trying to smear it on her and Ruby eating it faster than it could stick.
Lie sighed, "Nora, I don't-"
The ginger grabbed his arm with a gentle smile on her face, "It's fine. Just ask their permission if it's bugging you."
Seconds ticked by before the quiet teen leaned back in his seat, "My semblance works with emotions, and the long and short of it is that I can read the feelings people give off and tell what's going on with them and even help suppress those sentiments...but I can take it a step further."
Ren wrapped his fingers together like a chain, "If I connect two or more people, they feel what the others feel. It might help you understand where they're coming from if you're trying to write it down."
Yang squinted, coming out of her huff for a moment, "That sounds...really useful. Why haven't you been doing that all the time? You coulda been like...school therapist or an investigator or something."
Lie shook his head, "It's a privacy thing. I don't think it's right for me to go messing around with how other people feel. It's their business, not mine."
Nora loudly whispered, "He's shy."
Everyone knew that.
Blake put the tip of her pen in her mouth, "It could be pretty useful. I'm always trying to get in my character's heads when I write smut fi-"
The cat-girl blushed, clearing her throat, "I mean when I write...books...so, I'm up for it if you guys are. We tell our stories, and everyone gets to know what it's like."
Ruby vanished into rose petals, appearing next to Weiss with all the chocolate gone-
Meaning she could've done that the entire time-
But when you're 'besties' with Weiss, it means making her attack you to share a snack.
And by share, that meant needing to go to a dry cleaner.
The Huntress raised a hand, 'I'm in!"
Yang shrugged indifferently.
Weiss mumbled something about getting it over with before sitting back down.
Pyrrha awkwardy nodded.
Neo reclined in her chair, signing that she'd just watch, with a fake wooden sign that said, 'No entry.'
Nora and Ren were a given, but-
Itadori just looked away, "Pass."
...
...
Blake scribbled something on her sheet, "You sure?"
He was dead quiet.
She asked again, "Yuji, are you sure?"
The sorcerer met her look with a cold one of his own, "I don't like people poking around my head."
Yang rolled her eyes, "Shocker, someone asks him for more than a stupid answer and he stonewalls."
Ruby's gasped, "Yang! Don't be rude! But-"
The scythe-user twiddled her fingers, looking at the vessel, "You said you'd try to do better with this stuff."
Yuji wasn't even looking at her. It was more like-
He was intently glaring at something behind her-
Something that wasn't even there.
The vessel shrugged, "Sorry, but I have limi-"
Weiss nudged him with a foot, "Participate. If all of us have to share something personal, so do you."
"No."
"Pardon?"
"I said no."
"Who do you think...Oh my God, you always do this!"
The Schnee shot to her feet, pointing a finger in his face, "After everything we just...you're seriously going to do this? No, that's it. I'm getting to the bottom of this right now. What is your issue?"
Blake awkwardly stood, "Guys, it's not that serious. It's just a book."
Weiss shook in place, "It's more than just the book. He does this every single time someone asks him anything he doesn't like! Just like the time I tried to activate his aura, and he started mumbling some nonsense about me being in danger."
Yuji kept staring in that same direction, "Because you were."
"How?"
"My soul is dangerous. If you tried to touch it, then you would've lost an arm."
His tone darkened, "At the least."
"What makes it so dangerous? You always make things out like we're on the verge of disaster! Look around you! They're just questions!"
...
...
He didn't respond, so Weiss marched in front of him, and still, he leaned to the side to keep staring at nothing-
The Schnee put a hand over her chest, "Don't you trust us? Don't you trust me?"
Itadori's gaze was dull, "I do it because I care about you guys. Anyone that connects to my head is in a lot of danger, and there's something I can't-"
Ren slowly raised a hand, "We wouldn't be in your head. Everyone gives off their emotions like smoke coming out of a factory. I just tap into that. There's no risk-"
"Even that's too much."
Yuji's complexion hardened, "There are some feelings you should never have to experience."
Weiss puffed herself up, "I'm not letting you get away with this after everything we've done. Now, are you going to get up and walk away, or are you going to face this with me? Together."
The others were confused at what she meant, but Itadori knew all too well.
Weiss wasn't going to put up with his act.
She was the most stubborn and prideful girl he ever met.
There was a good answer to this, one that would cause less heartache, but Yuji Itadori was a selfish person.
Walking away would be easier, but he didn't want to lose her.
...
...
He just kept staring at that empty spot of darkness, "...Do what you want."
...
...
Ren grimaced, raising his hands, "...This might feel weird for you guys, but-"
There was a snap inside their heads, followed by a chill that ran down their spines-"
Lie panted, "Alright...that should do-"
*Bump-Bump
There was a sudden tightness in his chest, pulling so hard it felt like he couldn't breathe.
The same pressure could be felt all around as Ruby grabbed at her throat, "Am I-"
*Drip-Drop
Warm droplets trickled out of her eyes and to the ground below, "Is this supposed to happen?"
Ren's expression dropped. He looked nearby to Nora to see she was curled up in a ball, shivering in silent terror, "This isn't normal. I-I'm gonna-"
"...What the fuck is that?"
They looked to Yang, who was pointing off into the darkness in the same direction Itadori had been watching all this time.
Illuminated by the dwindling light of a dying fire-
There stood something utterly unnatural-
A grey, armored being with jagged blades extending far beyond its elbows and a swishing tail that bobbed back and forth almost rhythmically. It appeared utterly blind, its eyes covered by the same scales that dotted its form, but the smile on its face spoke of something far worse.
It spoke with an abominable echo and a tainted, childlike sense of glee.
"Have you counted how many curses you've killed..."
"Itadori?"
The darkness spread around him, consuming them whole.
...
Somewhere, a long time ago.
*Tweet-Tweet...Tweet-Tweet
The setting sun cast an orange hue over a vibrant city, casting rays of light over a flowing stream atop a concrete riverbed. The air was warm yet had that looming chill of early fall-
They would each try to move but couldn't. It was as if they were spectating, unable to do anything more than watch. What was happening, how were they-
An all too familiar voice would chirp, "Hey-"
Was that...Yuji?
Their perspective would turn, and there was someone none of them had ever seen before, though he felt so familiar...
It was another boy, around the sorcerer's age, with long black hair covering one of his eyes, with the only visible one struggling to maintain a stare. He wore a simple T-shirt and jeans. They didn't know him, but a name just...appeared.
Junpei Yoshino and the name was followed by foreign feelings, not their own-
Excitement, joy, the list went on. It was like seeing an old friend despite not knowing them for more than a day, like you could just tell the resulting friendship would last a lifetime, but it wasn't theirs. None of them knew this boy-
Was this a memory?
Were they feeling what Itadori felt at that moment?
Were they seeing the world through his eyes?
The sorcerer would smile, "What were you watching at that theater?"
Junpei awkwardly looked down, "Human Earthworm Three."
Memories of a terrible movie flooded their minds while the vessel paled, "That one was super boring! I got hit so many times over that."
The quiet boy deadpanned, "You got hit?...But two was-"
"Two was pretty good, right!?"
A surprised look crossed the boy's face, and he turned with renewed energy, smiling brightly. "Yeah! Yeah, it was!"
After Junpei begrudgingly admitted to watching it more than a few times to understand the plot, time would pass, yet it felt like the day had hardly gone by.
The quiet teen would lean closer, asking, "Do you like movies, Itadori?"
Yuji would hum in thought, "When was the last time I saw one in a theater?..."
The sorcerer would lean in, "Take me with you next time there's one you're into."
The boy seemed shocked out of his gord that the sorcerer stretched out his phone to exchange numbers, but they were interrupted by the boy's mother, who invited the vessel to dinner.
Nagi Yoshino, that was her name.
It was a pleasant little house made of wood, with old furniture that could probably fill your day with stories, much like the rest of Japan, and probably other old countries too. They spent hours discussing movies and cracking jokes about lines they found funny.
Even as the night wound down, and Nagi drank herself into passing out-
The two soon-to-be-friends would fall into a comfortable silence, but-
...
...
Junpei hesitantly spoke, "...Itadori, you're a jujutsu sorcerer, right?"
Yuji put a hand in his pocket, "Yeah."
"Have you...ever killed someone?"
Yuji's snapped to attention, but Junpei wasn't facing him, looking off at a blank tv screen.
The vessel felt uncomfortable but spoke regardless, "No... It's like...I just think if I killed anyone-"
The lights flickered.
And the room felt cold.
"The value of life would become ambiguous."
...
...
*Click
The lights flickered off, and in the blink of an eye, they were somewhere else-
*CRRRR
It was an unholy sight.
Being pinned against a wall in the barren hallway of an empty school by a mutated arm stretched far beyond its limits, watching helplessly as Junpei stood at the bottom of a set of stairs-
And a pair of heels clicked their way down as their owner held the vessel in place.
He looked human, but the way he stood and the way he smiled spoke of something far worse.
With a scarred and stitched-together face, a set of mismatched eyes, and a long, swinging set of silver hair, wearing a simple black shawl shirt and a matching pair of pants, with dull white shoes.
The mere presence of this thing sent tremors of terror through them-
The embodiment of humanity's fear for one another-
This was a curse-
No-
A disaster.
Junpei waved a hand, "This is just a misunderstanding! Mahito...Mahito's a good perso-"
A hand casually lowered onto his right arm, and with a simple jab, calling the teary-eyed boy a fool-
His entire body pulled upward, inhumanly twisting and writhing as his skin paled, discarding his clothes as a monstrous entity with an elongated mouth and jagged teeth emerged.
Alongside feels of distress, terror, and-
The world briefly distorted, and soon, they watched as the transfigured human attacked, disregarding every attempt at reason, and only when Itadori seemed to get through-
Junpei Yoshino would slump to the floor and die a miserable death in a skin not his own, questioning why this had happened.
Mahito would simply shrug and say that's how it goes.
There was no regard for life in those eyes-
For the first time, Itadori had ever felt this urge-
The anger-
The rage-
The unbearable weight on his heart-
He wanted to kill the person responsible for this-
But he was never enough.
...
That's a good place to leave off for now.
I'm never writing a reaction fic; they aren't my thing, but now that Yuji's friends are beginning to unravel his past, maybe people will stop asking me to make one.
Here's hoping, anyway, things are ramping up again, and I'm looking forward to showing you where it goes. Take it easy, and I'll see you all next time; cheers.
Discord:
/4edf44FSSn