Music: 'The Garden of Everything' - Maaya Sakamoto, Steve Conte
Readers be warned: this fanfiction is full of heavy spoilers from the tailend of Jujutsu Kaisen's second season (the Shibuya Incident). If you are not yet familiar with what happens in that arc, I would bookmark this series to come back to when you have.
General Warnings: SFW, slight fluff, but not much (yet), mostly exposition
{Nanami's Point-of-View}
Well, this is unexpected...
Nanami was kneeling beside an unconscious Himawari, after having been ten hours' dead only minutes ago. He dared not stand, uncertain of how his body would respond to drastic movement after having spent the past few hours in rigor mortis.
"Sasaki-san?" He attempted to wake her, shaking her shoulder. Her limp form offered no response. "Damn. She's out cold."
Somewhere on the surface above the subway, the echoes of a battle could be heard. For a brief moment, Nanami considered hiding Himawari somewhere safe so he could try to aid the other sorcerers, but it was painfully obvious to him that since he'd reawakened, he could hardly feel his cursed energy anymore.
It's still there... Nanami focused his attention inward in hopes of summoning even just a small amount to manifest in his palm, but to no avail. But I can't access it. I'd only be a liability if I were to try to fight now.
"Tsk!" He clicked his tongue. I suppose the best thing I could do now is get us both away from Shibuya; at least until I can recover.
He inspected the sleeping Himawari and frowned. Her face was contorted into a faintly-pained expression, her arms and collarbone were dappled with what appeared to be age spots, and her silver hair was sprawled around her head across the subway floor, tendrils of stray hair plastered to her sweat-soaked skin. Her hair was light brown before...
Nanami used his hand to steady himself on his knee so he could pull himself up to his feet. "I feel so much weaker than I think I ever have..." He picked up his blunt wrapped sword and tucked it under his arm before taking a moment to carefully pick up each of Himawari's trademark senbon and tucking them back in her pack. I can safely assume my apartment is rubble by now - and Jujutsu High is probably no safer than Shibuya. Our options are limited. I wonder...
Nanami slid Himawari's wallet out from her pack with an apology under his breath to the unconscious sorceress, and checked the address on her ID. Hopefully she lives in a part of the city that hasn't been decimated yet. To his relief, her address appeared to be somewhere out beyond the city limits. Good. If I can get us there, we might survive the night.
Placing her wallet and ID neatly in her bag, he scooped Himawari into his arms and stood with a heavy sigh. He glanced down at the sound of a whine to see Zun-Zun looking up at him. "Well? I assume you can walk. Come on, dog. You can follow me."
Zun-Zun pitter-pattered alongside Nanami as he warily carried Himawari in his arms, trudging through the subway tunnels, now eerily silent.
By some miracle, nearly two hours later, they had made it to a small shopping district near the edge of the city. Nanami had managed to pick up a small selection of clothing from a store that had fortunately been open late and an old rental car that he hoped would get them where they needed to go.
"This is turning into an expensive evening," he sighed to himself, carefully tucking Himawari into the passenger's seat and fastening her seatbelt, setting the incline of the seat so she could lay back slightly. Zun-Zun lay curled up on the back seat beside the cloth bag that contained the clothing he'd bought. "We should only be about 20 minutes out. Hang on, Sasaki-san. I'll get you home in one piece."
Nanami put the car into drive and sped off into the night in silence, the skies alight with the soft pink hues of the approaching sunrise.
Nanami's assumption had been correct - the drive had only taken about half an hour. As the car trudged along the dusty side road, a small, traditional and well-kept house came into view, nestled among a smattering of trees and a garden that had clearly been carefully maintained.
Opening the car door, he was instantly greeted by a humid, salty breeze that reminded him the ocean was nearby. The air was crisp and clean, and the floral scent of the surrounding garden filled Nanami's nostrils, making him feel more at ease. Opening the passenger door, the still-sleeping Himawari flopped to the side. He unfastened the seatbelt and curled his arms under her back and in the crook of her knees, lifting her out of the car. As he turned to approach the house, Zun-Zun skittered out from the back seat and followed them to the front door.
To his surprise, the sliding front door had wooden framing with frosted glass panes, and bore no locking mechanism. He simply slid the door open with a gentle push of his foot. Does she have no concept of personal security...? Shaking his head in disapproval, he stepped beyond the entryway.
The house looked no larger inside than it did outside. There appeared to be only a single level, mostly consisting of one large room with a small kitchen and a living room. There appeared to be only three areas beyond the main room; one to the outdoor patio, one to a bedroom, and one to a small hallway with what he could assume to be a washroom and a storage closet. Everything was kept relatively tidy, and in the air, he could still smell the scents from the garden.
He shuffled out of his shoes and stepped beyond the threshold of the genkan and onto the cherry wood of the main floor. Making his way into the bedroom, he laid Himawari carefully on the bed in a recovery position. He wiped his brow with a forearm, suddenly reminded of just how filthy he was, still covered in dirt, grime, blood, and who knows what else.
"I hope you don't mind, but I should use your shower," Nanami told the unconscious Himawari. "Your furniture will thank me."
He quickly scooped up Zun-Zun before she managed to hop onto the bed with her. "Oh, no you don't," he scolded. "You're no cleaner than I am. You can curl up with her after you've had a bath."
Zun-Zun whined in protest, but didn't bother to struggle. After placing a wooden plank in the jam of the front door, he headed to the bathroom.
About an hour later, Nanami and Zun-Zun emerged from the bathroom. He fastened the buttons of the off-white collared shirt, leaving it untucked from the tan pleated pants he'd bought, grateful the fabrics were as light as they were. After the feeling of the rushing water beating against his skin, he realized just how sore and tender his burns were. Donning a makeshift eyepatch out of gauze and medical tape from Himawari's first aid kit, Nanami frowned at his reflection in the mirror. It's going to take some time getting used to only having one eye...
He was brought out of the moment by a quiet 'brrt' noise from behind him.
"Hm?" He looked down to the source of the noise to see a dusty grey cat with sky blue eyes looking up at him curiously. "A cat?"
As if to answer him, the grey cat gave a gentle chirp, rubbing up against his pant leg, seemingly attempting to lead him somewhere.
Nanami followed the cat to a set of empty pet food dishes by the wall across from the kitchen. "Oh, I see. You're hungry." He looked around and found the kitchen pantry; on the top shelf were a small assortment of cans with different flavours of wet cat food. He mumbled the flavors aloud. "Tuna... beef... chicken... salmon... you eat better than I do."
She mewled impatiently, quickly darting between his ankles, to her empty dish, and back to him again.
"Alright, alright," Nanami chuckled. "You don't have to use such colourful language."
The moment he peeled back the lid of a can of the chicken-flavour, another set of tiny footsteps came skittering over from behind the television set across the room. Joining the grey cat by the empty food dishes was a fluffy, black persian cat with one grey eye.
"Oh, another one?" Nanami's thin eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked around the flat for any sign of movement. "Are there any more of you?"
He opened a second can of food and shook them into the dishes, the two cats practically digging through his hand to get to it. After refilling the water dish, Zun-Zun came trotting out of the bedroom to take a drink. The cats acknowledged the puppy's presence by raising their heads for a second before going right back to eating.
"It looks like they'll get along. Good." Nanami briefly considered finding something to eat himself, but hesitated. "I already feel stange going through her cupboards and using her shower. Still, I might as well grab some water for us both. She'll be thirsty when she wakes up."
Nanami searched around the kitchen and set out two clear tumblers. In the fridge, he found a single cucumber and a small container labelled 'garden-fresh mint.' Bunching his long sleeves up to his elbows, he found a small wooden cutting board and sliced the cucumber into even medallions a half-inch thick, placing a handful of the slices into each glass, followed by a helping of ice and cold water from the dispenser attached to the fridge. Garnishing the drinks with a single sprig of mint, he pulled out two clean cloths he'd picked from the linen closet down the hall and dampened them before returning to the bedroom.
Himawari was in the same position he'd left her on the bed. He hovered a finger by her lips and felt her steady breath. Carefully setting the cucumber waters on the bedside table, he carefully repositioned her onto her back, placing the pillows behind her to keep her at a more upright position. He gently set the damp cloth over her mouth and moved a loose strand of white hair away from her face. Can't have you getting dehydrated while you're out... His eye was drawn to her long, light eyelashes and the smattering of freckles across her cheeks.
He cleared his throat and walked back to the car to bring in her bag. The sun had begun to set, leaving the garden under a haze of golden light.
"It's peaceful here." Nanami took a moment to appreciate the atmosphere. "I can see why she chooses to live out here. I don't even think I'd mind the commute if this was what I got to come home to at the end of the day..."
He headed back inside and replaced the wooden plank back in the jam of the door. Finding her phone from inside her bag, he noticed the battery was almost dead.
Hm. I'd imagine my battery's low as well. I'd better charge them both. Nanami set both phones on the bedside table, plugging them into the nearby wall outlet. Checking his phone one more time, he noticed there appeared to be no service. That's a little inconvenient...
He spotted a wicker reading chair with soft mint green cushions in the corner of the room. He carefully moved it closer to her bedside and took a seat with a huff, downing half of his drink before placing the second damp cloth over his own eyes.
The stillness of night made him feel restless and uneasy, knowing just under an hour away, a bloody battle may still be waging; a battle he could not yet justify returning to.
"I hate feeling so useless..." He sighed aloud, his chest tightening with anxiety and unease. To his surprise, he felt a light weight press onto his chest. Removing the cloth, he noticed the one-eyed cat had hopped onto his lap, gently kneading at the fabric of his shirt before settling with his chin on her chest with a pur. "Well, make yourself comfortable," Nanami sighed gruffly. Still, a part of him felt touched. The second cat followed soon after with Zun-Zun, both of them joining Himawari on her bed; Zun-Zun curled up by her feet, and the grey cat nestled onto her lap.
Nanami didn't know how long it took him to fall asleep, but at some point in the dead of night, the darkness of sleep claimed his consciousness, bringing with them the memories of screams and scattered blood.
~ To Be Continued...
Sketches I need to try to make after this chapter:
• Nanami scolding the ratty little Yorkie puppy he's carrying in the crook of his arm ('You need a bath').
• Nanami curled up on the reading chair with Kumo, with her cuddled up with Zun-Zun and Hoshi ('Well, make yourself comfortable').
• Just cat-dad Nanami in general gives me life ️3