Welcome back to another chapter!
Just so my readers are aware, I have deadlines coming up, so don't expect an update for a bit after this one. I have to keep my grades and career as a priority.
With all that out of the way, let's get into this!
Beta Readers: Chris72637, Luxutor, MegaDumbo, and Tupjunk
...
*Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock
A clock chimed along the infirmary walls, the sound going ignored by its occupants, one willingly, the other not.
Yuji scooted closer in his chair, his hands hovering over his unconscious senior, molding something unseen as his brow furrowed in intense focus, "...Come on, Fox...come on-"
Messing with souls was nothing to laugh at, and the process was like playing with the world's most deadly batch of playdough, pushing it into the right spots on the first try...all without causing permanent damage by screwing up...yeah, it wasn't fun.
The vessel couldn't let himself get distracted, or he'd have to start all over, and with the sun coming up, that really wasn't sounding good right now, but every little thing kept trying to break his focus-
This was about as hard as doing surgery on a fish with Takaba Senpai...wait-
Why did he just think that?
Yuji pushed the thought aside, finally getting a hold of the shredded ends of the copper-themed teen's soul and could feel himself slowly inching them closer together...good...this was good...maybe in a few days with some luck, the guy would be back on his feet, and he wouldn't need to see that sad look on Coco's face agai-...
*Bumpity-Bump
The sorcerer froze in his tracks as his heart jumped a bit, struggling to swallow as he felt the room get warmer by the second-
*Bumpity-Bump
Face...why was that word bugging him so much?
Why was it-
*Chu
A mental image of a certain blonde getting the jump on him flashed into the vessel's head, sending him into a spiral the second her lips grazed his cheek-
"WOAH-WOAH-WOAH!"
*CRASH
Yuji fell backward off his chair, smashing against random bits of medical equipment before tumbling onto the floor. His focus completely shattered as his skull bounced off the tiles.
The sorcerer just lay there a second, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what his problem was, having been like this all night before letting off a sigh, "...Why am I even asking?"
Yuji wasn't the brightest guy in the world, but he wasn't stupid enough not to realize why Yang had done that. It had happened just a few hours ago, and he couldn't get her out of his head, living there rent-free.
A girl...actually liked him. It was every guy's dream.
He should be excited, bouncing around saying he did it and calling everyone he knew, but instead-
Itadori just felt nervous...and, honestly, kinda sad about the whole thing. The guy would be lying if he didn't wanna try asking a girl like that out, but...there were a lot of problems with it, and the biggest one-
It starts with Suku-
Ends with -Na
Yuji really didn't need to think about it to know what the King of Curses would do if he found someone special, then someway, somehow, it would end horribly.
He might as well put a target on her back, and that thought alone should've been the end of the conversation, but-
He raised a fist and clenched it as he looked over to his unconscious senior, "Here I am...still thinkin' about her...I'm just the worst, aren't I?"
The vessel slowly stood, plopping down onto a bed next to Fox, just staring at the guy, a sad look crossing his face, "I dunno where my friends are...or if they're even alive...I...I got you all messed up, and here I am, worrying that I can't get a girl...God, what is wrong with me?"
The blind teen didn't respond, but the vessel knew he wouldn't, clasping his hands in thought, "...There's a million reasons why she shouldn't like a guy like me, but she doesn't know, and I can't just...say em' out loud...man, what should I do?"
"...I gotta talk to someone about this, but who's good with this sorta thing?"
Gramps?...No, that meant Goodwitch.
Port?... Nah, he might say somethin' that old people get away with, but it would definitely get him punched if he did it.
Ookleboch...the green-haired dude?
Yuji sweatdropped, figuring that guy had never talked to a girl in his life.
That left...ohhhhh...he was kind of a pretty boy, wasn't he? And at least one girl definitely liked him...Maybe that would work-
"Still at it?"
"Eh?"
Yuji leaned back, hearing a voice right above him, looking up to see a familiar pair of rabbit ears twitching overhead, "Oh, hey Velvet, what's goin' on?"
The Faunus girl hummed, "You know, the usual...took a pretty picture of some...some flowers the other day...yeah, cool flowers that-
He deadpanned, "It was Coco, wasn't it?"
"...It was Coco."
"I see...You sure like cameras, huh?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Mhm, it's a win-win. I like the photos, and Coco likes the attention, hehe, sort of helps gets our minds off all this sad stuff, you know?"
Yuji ran a hand along his face, "...I'm gettin' closer to an answer."
The Faunus girl looked over to her teammate, "Good...or?"
"I don't know, but sooner or later, you guys are gonna have to make a tough decision, 'cause if I go through with anything, there's a chance it can go real wrong...souls are tricky business."
Velvet bit her cheek, "Is there...any chance he gets better on his own?"
"None. It's either we do something, or he just stays like this...but we're runnin' into a big problem. I've messed with my soul before...read a lot about how they work and done some other stuff, but I've never actually tried to fix someone else's before."
She didn't react, just staring ahead to keep her composure, "He doesn't have a family, you know?... We're...all he has-"
"You don't gotta try and make me feel better about this. Even if you aren't related, it doesn't mean his life has no meaning to ya."
"...Sorry, it's just...something we keep telling ourselves to feel better about all this...Coco's been taking it really hard."
Yuji huffed, falling back as he sank into the bed, "I figured. I haven't seen her since she blew up at me. I screwed up big time with this, huh?"
The girl's brown eyes shifted to the side for a second, "I wouldn't say that...and I know she wouldn't either, it's just...she's not...good with her words."
He quirked a brow, "Seriously? Coolest girl on campus, and you're tellin' me she's nervous?"
Velvet shook her head, sending her giant ears flailing, "No, it's not that...Coco just has a hard time talking about serious things like this, it's like...-"
"Her Kryptonite?"
"Krypto-what?"
Why does no one get his references?
"Ehhh, TLDR, her...weakness?"
"Ohhhhh...yeah, kinda, and it's sort of why I'm here, but I know this hasn't been easy on you either...so..."
do you-"
Her face scrunched up before dropping, "Do you mind if I sit down?"
The sorcerer waved her over, and so the timid girl dropped beside him, staring down at her hands-
...
...
"...You come here every night, from eleven p.m. until six in the morning."
His eyes widened, "Hold up, how do you- know that?"
"I watch you-"
"What?"
"N-Not like a stalker or anything! Just...where and...when you aren't looking."
He made a confused face, "That...that just sounds like stalking...straight up."
Velvet's face turned red, "Can...can you please let me finish!"
Yuji went quiet, to her relief, "Thank you...honestly, you really aren't the kind of person I pictured when...you know-"
He tilted his head, "Know what?"
"You...come on! We talked about it the other day!"
Velvet dropped her shoulders, "Remember when you fought that boy in the cafeteria?"
"You're...gonna have to be way more specific. I get detention for that, like...every other day."
The rabbit girl rolled her eyes, "When classes first started, and that boy kept pulling my ears?"
"Oh...Cardin, yeah, he's kind of a dick...but I've been trainin' him to be better."
"With...beatings?"
Yuji enthusiastically nodded, "Yeah, it works...kinda."
And then the dude forgets the lesson like a day later, and the magical journey of Yuji throttlings starts again.
Velvet sweatdropped, "Hmm...Anyway, I pictured you were this...and don't make fun of me for it!...but I thought you were this...this..."
"...Badboy-"
*Sniff-sniff
"Eh?..."
Happy tears trickled down the sorcerer's face as he clenched a fist in pride, "I knew it! I knew I was cool!"
Her eyes went dull, "...That's not the point."
His face dulled too, "Oh...I see..."
Velvet's hands flew in a panic, realizing she was just depressing the guy, "But-but...I think you're cool!...The cooliest...cool...Oh my God, I'm so bad at this."
She took a deep breath, "Look...I never got to thank you for what you did but to be honest, I almost didn't know what to say. You just turned up, pummeled an entire team, and walked off like it wasn't a big deal-"
"Cause it wasn't."
She tilted her head, "Hm?"
Yuji stared up at the ceiling, his brow furrowing, "People shouldn't get thanked for doin' what's right. It should be expected of them... and I know the world isn't like that, but... I dunno, I think it's reward enough to see people livin' their best lives without havin' to worry about stuff like that."
Velvet rolled her eyes, "Eugh, you're like...the anti-Coco. Just take the bloody compliment! I think you're cool! There, I said it!"
"Are you sure you aren't British?"
"What the hell's a Bri'ish!?"
She shook her head, "Nevermind, just...do you think you could do me a favor?"
Yuji pointed a finger at himself, "Eh? Me?...Uh, sure, I guess."
She looked out a nearby window at the dorms across campus, "Look, Coco hasn't been herself lately, and she's in a bit of a rut...and it's sort of...about you."
"Huh?"
"Remember when she blew up during the mission? This is gonna sound...bad...but believe me, it's just Coco being Coco-"
"That...hurt her image."
Yuji just stared at her, "...What?"
"I know, I know, but when you're as crazy as she is about looking good, well...the other half is making people think you're cool, and well...she...thinks she made an idiot of herself."
Itadori had no clue what was happening, scratching his head, "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"But...she's kinda right to be mad, you can't just-"
"Look, I've been on this girl's team for years. It never makes sense...ever...just please do me a favor and talk to her about it? There's no way Coco's gonna consider going through with what you wanna do with Fox if she's not in the right place. Do you get what I mean?"
Yuji rubbed a hand along his arm, "I...I guess?"
He slowly pushed himself upright, moving to stand up, "Well...I can talk to her later today. We got some weird field trip to go on or somethin' first-"
The vessel moved to scoot past her, "I guess I'll see y-"
"One more thing-"
He paused, "What's up?"
"Well...you how I like taking pictures? I miiiight do this thing where I print up ones with my friends and hang em' up, so-"
Velvet pulled up the container attached to her hip, clicking it open as she pulled out her trusted camera, "Wanna take one?"
Yuji flashed the girl a grin, "Only if we do a selfie together!"
She almost jumped back, "What? Why with me?"
He shrugged, "I dunno, if you're gettin' one, I want one."
The rabbit girl grumbled, biting her cheek in an embarrassed huff, "...Fine, but since you're the tall one, you're taking it."
Yuji gave the girl a military salute before dropping down next to her, secretly glad to be called tall for the first time in this country full of giants-
Seriously, in Japan, he was on the taller side, but the vessel felt like a short stack compared to all these Europeans...now THAT'S a low-bar
Eh-eh? Aw man, why's he doing Yang bits when she's the reason for like half his problems right now?
Shaking the thought aside, he happily wrapped a hand around Velvet's shoulder, the other holding the camera backward. Now...what's something British?...
Oh, screw it.
"Alright...sayyyyy...British!"
She growled through her smile, "I'm not Bri'ish!"
*FLASH
Moments later, Yuji happily made his way out of the infirmary, a fresh photograph in his hand.
That one was going on his wall later.
...
Later in the Dorms
Yuji yawned as he strolled down the halls, rounding a corner as the sound of voices grew louder, seeing his teammates and their neighbors chatting it up like usual.
Ruby was the first to notice him, giving him a happy wave, "Mornin' Yuj."
He lazily gave a two-finger salute, "Yo."
"You excited for the trip?"
Yang flashed in from behind, her chin bouncing off her sister's head, "As he long as he doesn't fall, eh-eh?...eh?"
The look Ruby gave her sibling could only be described as possessed, "They won't find you when you do."
The blonde just rolled her eyes, "Ooooh, I'm sooo scared, I might need Nora to protect me again."
The hooded girl shivered like someone had dumped ice water on her, slumping over in defeat, "...I'll be good."
That earned a gentle pat on the head, "Yes, you will."
Yuji tilted his head, "I don't get it."
Yang flashed him a cocky smirk, "Mornin' Pinky...I wouldn't worry about it. We're just doing sister things."
To her surprise, he looked away to the side, mumbling, "Oh...I gotcha."
Was he-
Avoiding eye contact?
...Hook-line and sinker.
With some pep in her step, Yang marched right in front of him, her grin growing suggestive. "Nervous about the trip...or somethin' else?"
That one went over his head for reasons she couldn't explain.
The vessel yawned again, mumbling, "I dunno about scared, but...what are we even gonna do out there?... Last time I went that deep in the woods, I fought some dude with branches for eyes. That was crazy."
Her disappointed frown turned into absolute confusion, "...What?"
From the side, Pyrrha let off a huff, "You didn't sleep again, did you, Yuji?"
He turned on a dime, "Eh? How did you-"
The redhead sighed, "You always bring up those half-stories when you're tired."
"I do?"
She nodded, "Mhm...last time you said something about a King of Farmers being a fraud. I still don't know what you were talking about."
A giant question mark hovered over his head, "I don't either."
Mustering every bit of anger she had, which was really just puffing her cheeks like a chipmunk, Pyrrha marched over, hovering above the sorcerer as he tried to shrink back, "You need to take better care of yourself-"
He backed into the wall, "...Yes, ma'am."
She leaned higher, "And you're going to sleep when we get back."
What was she, his mom?
Actually, no, that was a terrible idea. Yuji already had, like...five kinda-maybe-sorta parents at this point...or was it six?... He was losing track.
He slid down the wall from the sheer pressure, his head down in a bow, "Yes, ma'am."
From the side, Yang snorted, crossing her arms, "Eugh, you're such a buzzkill, Pyr."
The armored girl blustered, "I am not! I just...I just worry, is all."
"Mhm, well, worry from the old folks home, grandma."
Pyrrha froze like a statue, "Grandma?"
The poor girl really didn't know social cues.
Without missing a beat, Yang crouched to Yuji's level, whispering, "Psst...if you wanna ditch the nanny, just chill at our place later. I got something I wanna show ya."
Yuji quirked a brow, "Oh yeah? What?"
Her playful smirk came back in full force, "Wellll...do you like dogs?"
"Ruff!"
With a gentle trot out the door, he was there in all its majesty, with black and grey fur and adorable white paws that looked like tiny boots, happily wagging his tail as he stared at his blonde owner before looking down at the pink-haired teen-
Who had a face that reminded him of some clicky-block game Ruby played about a man-bat...
Where was that music coming from?
'I just died in your arms tonight...must have been something you said...I just died in your arms tonight...'
"Rrr?"
Yang glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, there you are, Zwei. Come here! There's someone important I wantcha to meet!"
...
...
"Zwe-"
*FYOOOOM
The dog disappeared in a puff of smoke, running away at full speed before rounding a corner and bounding down the stairs, leaving Yang in the dust, "W-wha?"
*BOOOOOM
*CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The blonde yelped as the ground exploded around her, followed by the sounds of shattering glass, and when the dust settled, the guy who was next to her less than a second ago was gone...
And there was a Yuji-shaped hole in the wall leading outside.
She ran to the opening, looking out to see the teen chasing the dog off in the distance before they vanished into the wilderness, "W...what just happened?"
Nora popped up beside her, dunking a toothbrush in something brown and fizzy-
Was that root beer?
The ginger started scrubbing her teeth with the concoction, spewing foam as she talked, "O-ya...he mentioned dat a few day ago."
Sitting on the floor, book in hand, Blake glanced up at her, "Can you like...spit before you talk, please?"
"kayyyy."
*PTU
She spat out the window onto a crowd of students below...those poor souls.
Yang shivered in disgust, "Okay, so...what's the deal?"
Nora shrugged, tossing the glass aside as it shattered against the wall, "...Yuji really likes dogs."
The bombshell tilted her head, "Really? I was all nervous thinking he'd freak out about Zwei...you know... 'cause he's a cat?... And they don't like dogs?"
Blake sighed for some reason, "He's a tiger Faunus, not a cat."
"Fur-real? Eh...ehhhh?"
Ruby slammed her head into the wall, "I can't take it anymore!"
As the thudding got louder, Yang cocked a hand on her hip, "A cat's still a cat wakey-wakey eggs and Blakey."
Ren phased into existence beside them, "He does eat a lot of fish-"
Nora bounced on her heels, "Ooooh, and he's always breaking things!"
Pyrrha deadpanned, "You do that too..."
Yang raised a hand, "Hold it...I gotta paws and think about it!"
*Fingerguns
As Ruby kept giving herself a concussion, the blonde huffed, "Alright-alright, I'm done, swearsies!...but...should we be worried about Zwei?"
Lie glanced out the window before letting off a sigh, "Trust me, with Yuji around, nothing's gonna happen to that dog, but I'll go find them. I wasn't really feeling a field trip today anyways."
The blonde scoffed, "And howddya think you're gonna find 'em? It's a pretty big forest, man."
Ren pointed a finger to the distance, seeing row after row of massive trees toppling to the ground, "If I know one thing about him, he isn't subtle."
Yang slyly smiled, "You don't say..."
The pink-eyed teen tilted his head, having no clue what that was about, before leaping out the broken window and taking off after his teammate.
...
Sometime later, deep in the Emerald Forest
*sniff-sniff-sniff-sniff-sniff
Zwei circled a random spot along the ground amid a giant clearing, doing what dogs do best, smelling something invisible, blissfully unaware of the world around him, even as a pair of red eyes gleamed from the bushes.
A presence slowly crept through the brush, careful not to make a sound before exploding off the ground, its white jaws cracking open as drool flew with the breeze, ready to swallow the pup whole-
*FYOOOOM
*CRACK
The beowolf stopped mid-lunge as a blur raced across the grassy field, a palm slamming into its chest with an audible boom, seeing nothing more than a flash of yellow as a voice rang out, "Get lost."
*FWING
A giant slash appeared, cutting clean across its torso before its halves slid apart in opposite directions, splattering across the ground and leaking black ooze as they fell.
Zwei looked up, feeling an intense pressure coming off the pink-haired teen, unsure if he should run for the hills or-
Sparkles fell off Yuji's face as his hands gently clapped together, "Oh, my!"
The next thing the dog knew, he was sitting in the guy's lap, getting petted like crazy, "Good boy! Wanna get some jerky later? Yes, you do! Yes, you do! You'll have all the jerky you want!"
This was both pleasant and the most terrifying thing Zwei had ever experienced.
A series of cracks rang out, alerting the pair as a panting Ren stumbled out of the tree line, "God, man!... ten miles for a dog!?"
Yuji pointed an accusing finger at his teammate without even looking, "Oy, don't diss the pooch...oh, hey, Ren! Wanna meet my buddy?"
The quiet guy just stared at the sorcerer for a second before shaking his head in disbelief, "Were you...not listening to a word Yang said? That's her dog, Zwei."
"Really?...hehe, I dunno, man, I just saw a dog and wanted to pet him, is all."
Lie rubbed a hand over his face, "...Of course you did. So, what's the game plan now that we're ditching class?- eh?"
In the blink of an eye, Yuji was in his face, holding Zwei up by his torso.
"Pet-"
"The-"
"Dog."
Ren stared at him-
...
...
Moments later, they were sitting on the ground petting the dog, and he had no idea how this happened-
Did Yuji have some kind of proximity effect?... Ren swore dumb things just happened when he was around.
The sorcerer broke the silence first, "Hey, can I ask you somethin'?"
Lie shrugged, "Uh, sure, I guess?"
You never knew what Yuji was going to say. It could be as simple as wanting to borrow a pencil or him asking how Nora still had any teeth with all the sugar she ate...Ren really didn't have an answer for that one.
The vessel hummed, "You're good-looking, right? Like a pretty boy?"
...
...
"...I don't like where this is going."
"Nah-nah, not like that. I mean...a lotta girls like you, right?"
"No?"
"...Really?"
Lie was seeing spirals, "Why...why would they?... It's not like I'm trying to talk to them or anything."
A lightbulb dulled over Yuji's head, "...But...but... chicks love quiet-brooding guys like you where I'm from, you know? Like Sasuke Uchiha from that show-?"
"Oh, that history lesson you gave?"
Yuji started shivering, whether in pain or sheer cringe; no one could say, "Y...yeah...haha...ha...that's...totally the real history of my country."
The pistol user shrugged, "Yeah, well, here girls just sorta think you're weird if you do that, so...sorry...I guess?"
The sorcerer soon slumped over in defeat, not understanding Europeans at all, "Aw man, I was hopin' to ask you for some advice."
Ren took a look at the guy's expression and decided to take pity on this unfortunate soul, "I mean...if you wanna tell me what's up, I can...try?"
Itadori let out an annoyed huff before ruffling Zwei's ears, immediately falling back into happy bubbles, "Well, remember how me and Yang went out last night?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
He stopped, rubbing the back of his neck as that awkward feeling ate away at him again, "Mmm...On the way back, she sorta...kissed me."
Ren's eyes widened by a noticeable margin (not even a centimeter)
"Oh...uh...congrats?...I didn't think you liked her...so ...are you two...a thing now?"
The vessel shot a hand out, "Man, it's not like that...you gotta date someone to find out if you like 'em, and it's not that I don't wanna. I mean, look, Ren...we're both guys here, right?"
"Are you asking or-?"
That went ignored as Yuji pressed ahead, "What I mean is...well...if a girl hits all your marks, you ask 'em out, right? None of that TV crap where they play games for like ten seasons with you wonderin' if it'll happen or not...then it gets canceled, and you gotta sit there all mad not knowing how it en-
"Getting off track, dude."
Itadori bit his cheek, "Oh...I guess what I'm saying is...Yang's...my type, you know? She's fun to be around...she's super cool and likes cracking jokes, and she's really pretty and...tall-"
"Tall?"
"Yeah, that's...sorta...my thing."
To his disbelief, that got a chuckle out of the guy, "Pfft...sorry...it's just...tall? Really? What's the appeal?"
Yuji deadpanned, "I dunno. What's the appeal of girls that chew on your head while you're asleep?"
Ren tilted his head, "Who?"
"I you...no way...who's the one girl you talk to, dude?"
"..."
The sorcerer took a breath, raising both hands before pointing them at his teammate, "Boy."
"Nora!"
Ren tilted his head even further, with Zwei following suit, "What about her?"
For once, Itadori's confusion was justified, "Hold up. What are you two exactly?"
"Just friends, well...really close friends, I guess...why?"
Yuji's face paled into sheer horror as he remembered just how obvious the girl was all the time, "...Oh my God, it's a TV show."
The vessel internally screamed, "I'm not...I'm not touching that with a twenty-foot pole right now...this isn't a rom-com."
Hakari made him read enough of those awful things to last a lifetime.
Ren's eyes narrowed, "A what?"
"Nothing...nothing at all...just hear me out...it's not that I don't wanna ask her out. I think...I would if I could, but, I dunno, man, I got...a lotta baggage, like...the kinda stuff she HAS to know before anything can happen."
Ren tried to wave him off, "I don't think it's that bad-"
"Oh, it is that bad. There's like...a LOT of people that want me dead-"
Yuji held a hand to his stomach, silently mumbling to himself, "Some closer than others."
He glanced back up at his teammate, "There's that, and you know, it's...not like you can say I'm really all that human 'cause-"
Ren's stare dulled, "I don't think she cares about that one."
They were going with entirely opposite meanings for that one.
"Really?"
"You wouldn't be in this situation if she was against it."
Yuji's eyes widened in realization, "...Ohhhhhhh, good point...but yeah, the other stuff is, like, pretty bad, and it sucks 'cause I dunno what to do. It'd be a lot easier if I just said no, but-"
Ren let off a hum, "Okay, I think I get where you're going with this. You're worried she'll get dragged into your problems, right?"
The sorcerer blew a raspberry, falling back onto the ground, holding Zwei up above, "Not just her, but pretty much any girl, and I get we're in... high school?...college?...I dunno what Beacon is at this point, man... but it just feels like this'll go on forever if I don't do somethin' about it, and I can't just punch it and make it go away, it's...way bigger than that."
Yuji grumbled, thinking back to his grandfather's final moments in that empty hospital room, letting off a sigh, "I know it's selfish, telling you how dangerous my life is, then not wantin' to say no, but...I just don't wanna end up an old man with nothin' and no one, you know?"
Itadori wasn't even sure if he COULD be an old man, with Choso looking twenty when he was like way over a hundred. Who knows how long the vessel would actually live? But the point stands.
Lie clicked his tongue before letting off a shrug, falling back onto the grass as he faced the sky, "That does sound pretty rough...Well, if you ask me, you really need to work on yourself first."
The sorcerer raised a brow, ignoring Zwei's endless attempts at licking him, "Whaddya mean? Like, work out in a gym?"
"No. Why would you even think-... never mind...just listen, you won't even tell us, your actual teammates, about your problems. You're gonna have to fix that because no one likes being left in the dark-"
Itadori tried waving him off, "It's not that big a-"
"Everyone's got problems, dude. You can't just shove your way into other people's business and shut them down when they try to do it for you. It doesn't work that way."
Yuji shook his head, "When the scales are that different, it's not about bein' fair. It's about what's best for everyone. 'Cause I'll level with you, Ren, my issues can seriously get people killed if they try to jump in, and I'm not kidding about that."
The pink-eyed teen shook his head, "We're going to a school that teaches teenagers how to fight and kill monsters, and you're worried about even telling us what has you worked up? That's a you issue, and do you really think a girl like Yang is gonna take that sitting down?"
The sorcerer froze up before slumping over, "...No, she wouldn't."
Lie stretched his arms, leaning his head back against them, "You're one of my best friends, so I'll say this honestly. It just sounds like you're screwing yourself over without giving anyone a chance, so my advice?... Chill out."
"Eh? Chill out?"
Ren nodded, "It doesn't have to be right away, but you don't wanna keep a girl waiting either so...I don't know, figure out a way to explain your stuff, and if she's cool with it then...cool, if not, well, keep looking."
...
...
Yuji stared at the guy with absolute perplexion, "Are you a therapist?...'Cause seriously, that was a talk I'd pay for."
Ren waved him off, "No, it's just...I don't really think I can describe it, but...I just...get what people are going through...if that makes sense...I'm more surprised you never talked to your big brother about this-"
Yuji deadpanned, "Choso would be zero help with this."
The quiet teen flashed him a glance, "Why?"
An image of a certain blonde who loved asking what people's types were flashed into the vessel's mind.
"Dead serious, he fell for the first girl that liked him."
Ren matched his energy, "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"What?"
He looked off, "Nothing...but it still has to be nice...having a brother like that."
Itadori tilted his head, "Oh, do you not have any siblings?"
Ren went quiet before shaking his head, "...Just Nora...she's...sort of the only person I have-"
Yuji hummed, studying the guy's face like a stoic for a few moments, earning an uncomfortable look back from Ren, "What are you doing?"
*Nod-Nod
The sorcerer flashed Zwei a look, "Guess that settles it, huh, buddy?"
"rrrr?"
Lie kept looking between the two, absolutely confused, "Settles what?"
With no ceremony, Yuji shifted Zwei to one arm, pounding a fist into his chest as he flashed his teammate a grin, "I'll be your brother!"
...
...
"Mom and Dad would have some explaining to do."
Don't get Yuji started on his "mom" explaining things, or the Kenjaku yapping session would go on for chapters on en-
Wait...why did he think of chapters instead of days?
Yuji pushed the thought aside, puffing his chest in pride, "We don't gotta be related to be brothers. All you gotta do is say we are, and that's that!"
Ren was so confused, "I...don't think that's how that works."
"Of course it is! That's how me and Todo did it, and we're still besto friendos! Then again, he did kinda imagine us having an entire childhood together...hehe, that guy's got a crazy imagination."
And totally not undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Lie looked off to the side, "You...don't need to do all that for me, Yuji, you already have...kind of a lot of siblings-"
Without missing a beat, Itadori hopped to his feet, offering the guy a hand, "And what's one more gonna do? Come on! Don't leave me hanging here, brother!"
Ren grumbled before looking back at his teammate's excited grin, soon letting off a sigh. Yeah, he wasn't going to win this fight.
He stretched out a hand, letting the vessel pull him to his feet, "Alright-alright fine...brother."
"Atta boy! Now, come on! Let's go get some lunch, I'm starvin'."
Yuji slapped him on the back, and the two newly minted siblings marched back toward campus, leaving the sorcerer's mind to wonder what his friends were up to on this trip...wait a minute.
The pink-haired teen soon came to a realization-
"Hold on...Where's Weiss been all day? I didn't see her this morning."
Ren tilted his head, "No one told you?
Itadori shook his head, earning another sigh from his teammate, "You got her sick, dude."
...
...
"Eh?"
...
Later on Campus
*Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap
Coco's gloved fingers rumbled along her desk, not listening to a word Port said about one of the stories he'd already told a thousand times before.
So bored.
What to do, what to do...
The stylish Huntress faintly smirked; keeping her eyes forward, she whispered out the side of her mouth, "Hey, Vel-"
It was so quiet that no normal person could hear it... but for a girl with big rabbit ears?
The faunus turned on a dime, "You say something, Coco?"
"Noooo, why would you ask that? Can't ya see I'm learnin' ova here?"
Velvet bristled, looking embarrassed, "Oh-uh...sorry...my bad-"
But the second she looked away, "Vel-"
"Hm?"
"I didn't say anything."
But soon, even that was getting boring...especially after the girl puffed her cheeks and wouldn't look at her anymore-
what to do...what to d-
*Tap-tap-tap
The fashionista glanced up at a window above her head, seeing a familiar potato face with pink hair waving at her to come outside-
Weren't they on the fifth floor?
Yeah-no...that was already like...twelve kinds of awkward, and she wasn't really feeling a 'My bad for going off on you' right now.
She waved at him to scoot, and he seemed to take the hint, dropping out of sight for a second...finally, back to peace and boredo-
*Tap-Tap-Tap
Holy crap, why can't this guy take the hin-
"Ruff!"
There was a dog in the window instead, with a pair of hands holding him up and shaking him around to do a little dance.
Stay strong Coco-
Don't fall for how cute he is-
Oh man...imagine him in one of those little tuxedos pet stores sell- No!
You're better than this-
You're better than...
"Ruff!"
...
Less than a minute later
With Zwei in her purse, the fashionable Huntress happily patted his head before giving off a low-effort scoff, "You're lucky I like dogs."
Yuji had his usual dull smile as he looked up at the clouds, "Well, yeah! Everyone likes dogs, except like...cats, I guess."
Coco lowered her shades to give him a look, staring at the slits along his face, "But aren't you a...you know..."
The vessel tilted his head, "I'm a what?"
She opened her mouth to answer but stopped herself, raising a finger to her chin-
Can't say that. Vel would get all mad even if she didn't mean anything by it.
"You're a c-...cool cat!"
Itadori's grin grew, "Oh, thanks!"
Thank God this dude wasn't that bright.
With that, Coco shifted her attention back to the dog, "Yeah...no big. It's not like I was missin' much from Port, but you know how that dude is, bleh."
Itadori gave a nod with a hum, "Mhm, one sec, you think he's gonna say somethin' cool, then he's just tryna flex on a bunch of kids when the story ain't even any good!"
Wait...wasn't that like...almost every person he met and fought so far, now that Yuji thought about it?
Coco flashed a hand to the sky, "Preach it, brother...so what's up? Lookin' to finally get ridda those raggy digs and get some real clothes?-"
The vessel guffawed, "Aw man, this again!? I like my look! What's wrong with it?"
She shook her head in disapproval, waving a finger in front of him, "Honey, there ain't time in the day...besides, there's nothin' like a little retail therapy after a crazy mission like ours...it's why you're here, right?"
"Eh? How did you-"
Coco shrugged, flicking her shades up to flash him a confident smirk, "I know my team, little man, no other way you'd even know where our classes were...so let's just get the awkward crap over with and move on with our day, hm?"
She clicked her tongue, "Look, I was kind of a...Queen Bitch the other day, and that's not the image I'm trying to keep, so...wanna rewind? Ya know-"
She scratched an invisible record, "Bzzt-bzzt, and be buds?"
Yuji awkwardly ran a hand along his arm, "You don't gotta apologize. If anything, I was the one who screwed up here and got Fox caught up in it-"
Coco rolled her eyes, "Eugh, look, we can play blame games and point at ourselves all day, but that's not the move... Could we have handled all that crazy shit a little bit better? Probably, but that's the job, and what goes down in the moment reflects on all of us, not just one person."
She raised a gloved fist in his direction, "We both screwed the pooch on this one-"
"Rrr?"
Zwei's head popped up in sheer horror, only to get squished by a lazy elbow from the Huntress, "Not you."
*Click...click...click
"Well, it's good to see my students getting along so well...during class hours, no less."
Yuji looked over his shoulder, seeing the sun reflecting off a familiar pair of dark shades-
Coco started sweating-
Meanwhile Itadori just blankly stared at the older man's white hair, head in the clouds-
A lot of people wore sunglasses in this place, now that he thought about it.
He happily waved, "Oh, hey, Gramps!"
Coco was prepping a million excuses a second, expecting some lame lecture from the Headmaster himself but-
Ozpin faintly smiled back, "Afternoon to you, Yuji, and you as well, Miss Adel, playing hooky, are we?"
The stylish Huntress waved her hands, "Uh-uh...not really...it's more like...uhhhhhhhhh...-"
Coco went pale, "I got nothin'..."
Itadori just tilted his head at her, "Whaddya so afraid of? It's just Gramps."
"Uh-yeah, the Headmaster? Come on dude, don't make me do two plus two her-"
Yuji crept right next to her, whispering, "Goodwitch isn't here, so he'll be cool-"
A thought dawned on the girl as the students shared a single brain cell, "Ohhhh...I didn't know they were like that-"
"I know, right? But if ya think about it, Gramps does seem-"
"Kinda whipped...-"
"...And she actually has a whip-stick or whatever it's called-"
"Oh...Oh no, you might be onto something...-"
They both stared at the Director with dull eyes, speaking in unison, "You poor guy..."
Ozpin just stood there, leaning against his cane, not having a clue what they were talking about, with a smile on his face, "It's good you two get along so well, Yuji. You just might need Miss Adel's assistance with something soon."
He glanced toward the Huntress, sipping from his ever-present mug of hot chocolate, "I hear you're a bit of an expert on the latest fashion trends."
She flicked her shades into place, taking a photo-perfect pose, "Oh, so the ball's in my court, huh?... Alright, I'm game, Professor. So whaddya want me to do, get rid of those awful sneakers or are we working on the hair first?"
Itadori lost color, "OY, I'm right here, ya know!?"
Coco gave him a smug grin. "I can see that, and that's the problem, little man."
Yuji went pale, "Man...what did I do?"
Ozpin lightly chuckled, "That would be a problem to tackle another day, I'm afraid...a reasonable one at that-"
"You too!?"
The Headmaster ignored the sorcerer's outrage, "You see, next week, a close acquaintance of mine is coming into town, and I think his welcome party would be the perfect chance for him and Yuji to meet, but it's a bit of a formal event, so-"
She waved a finger over the vessel's outfit, "This won't cut it...if it ever did-"
"Quite."
Yuji was almost catatonic, "...But Gojo Sensei always said I looked cool..."
The stylish Huntress nodded, "Alright, I can work with that, teach. I'll fix him up and send him your way...but I...kinda gotta get back to class sooo-"
Ozpin waved her off, "You're dismissed. I have some personal matters to discuss with my...Grandson first."
She flashed an okay symbol with her hand, glancing back at the vessel, "Right on. We'll meet up later, alright, squirt?"
Yuji waved her off, his pride shattered in mere moments of discussion, "Yeah-yeah, have fun tellin' Port you took a twenty-minute dump-"
*FWING
A black blur lazily flew through the air, and the sorcerer raised his hands to catch it, soon realizing it was Zwei bundled up in his hands, and looked up to see the Huntress pulling one of her eyes down and sticking a tongue out at him before walking back inside.
He deadpanned, "You know...I'm starting to get why Velvet said she was crazy about her image-"
Ozpin let off a hum, taking another sip of his beloved drink, "While it might not seem like it at first, there's a fine balance between only looking at your own shortcomings and comparing them with another person's...lean too far either way, and it only clouds your judgment."
His cane tapped the ground from left to right, "One leads to Insecurity, the other Hubris, and I can't say I'm particularly fond of either...now then, how about we go fishing?"
Yuji just stared at him, "...Where did THAT come from?"
...
...
Minutes later, they were on the riverbank just outside of campus, lazily casting lines into the water, with Ozpin breaking the silence, "I have to admit, it took far more time than I thought to think of an activity we could do together."
Yuji hummed, watching his bobber go up and down with the waves, "Yeah, what's the deal? You kinda struck me as the typa guy that likes his routines, Gramps.
The man chuckled, "Who knows...with the right influences, anyone can change for better or worse. You just have to live long enough to notice it. You've reminded me of that in a way, that sometimes...it's best to try something different."
The vessel raised a brow, "You really aren't like the other old timers I know, Gramps, you know that?"
"Oh? In what way?"
Itadori let out a breath, "I dunno, from how I see things...you got the same problems poppin' up forever, and instead of tryna do something new, the old folks in charge just stick in their heads in the dirt and don't listen...not like I know all that much, but you'd think they'd want somethin' fresh insteada the same crap every time."
The Professor nodded, "People often don't act in rational ways, and if something doesn't make sense to you...well, to them, it might be what's most comfortable, and leaving that bubble is an endeavor in itself, especially after spending years thinking it's the right way of handling things-"
He reached down to grab his trusted mug, going in for a drink, "The greatest act of strength is admitting fault, but it's also an immense sacrifice, one many aren't willing to make...and while age plays into it, I suppose I've lived so long I began to dull myself even to that, and I have you to thank for pulling me out of that rut."
The sorcerer stopped reeling in, pointing a finger at himself, "Me? I mean...I haven't really done all that much for you yet, Gramps, so...what are you talking about?"
The Director looked up at the sky as the clouds passed overhead, wondering how many times he had done this before, "...Things get...repetitive when you're as long-lived as I am, and I found myself getting more complacent as the days went by...like you said, seeing the same things happen over and over it...began to wear me down, but you've changed that in a sense, Yuji."
The man let out a quiet laugh, "You're not exactly what I expected either, and frankly, I think that's for the best. I'm starting to look forward to my days again, not quite knowing what may come next. Simply put, your presence has been refreshing."
The sorcerer felt a nibble on his line, watching the water bounce in the distance, "...I don't think it's livin' long that's causin' your problems, Gramps."
"Pardon?"
Yuji reached up a hand to scratch his chin in idle thought, "You see, back home... some real crazy stuff happened, and a buncha sorcerers who lived almost a thousand years before me came back from the dead, some even from the Heian era...lookin' for a fight-"
He felt another bite but bided his time, "It didn't matter how old they were, 'cause I'll tell ya now, Gramps. They were just as motivated as ever before, lookin' to satisfy the few goals that made 'em wanna come back in the first place...so what's stopping you from getting yours?"
...
...
Ozpin sat there, silently staring at his reflection in the water, one of his many faces, "...You already know her name...Raven told you that much during your encounter."
Right, back on the mountain, with all that talk he didn't understand, there was a name-
Salem.
"Yeah, but it's not like I know what she means to ya... a name is sorta just that unless you got the feelings to go with it."
...
...
Yuji shrugged, "You don't gotta tell me if you don't wanna. I hide things from people too if it means keepin' them safe."
The Headmaster stared down at his hands, "What would you do if you were given an impossible task? One that has the potential to go on forever."
For Yuji, this wasn't a question to consider-
He had lived through one already.
"...If I thought it mattered, and I believed it with every bit of my heart that it needed to get done, then-"
The sorcerer clenched a fist so tight he could feel the rod bending in his grasp, "I'd do whatever it takes to make it happen, and I wouldn't stop until it did...not now...not ever...not even for a second."
"I've had a lot of friends...good friends die, and I've thought about giving up so many times because of it...just wonderin' if it's even worth it, but then I think...it would mean their deaths were for nothing, and I just can't live with myself to let that happen."
Yuji turned to face the Professor, "So I'll never quit. You can throw the entire world at me, put me through the wringer again and again, and I'd still find a way to get back on my feet and make it happen because when something matters that much to you, no matter what, you just keep going."
Ozpin stared at him for a second in disbelief before breaking into another quiet laugh, "...I'm starting to see how you beat her. Honestly, you might just be the most unrelenting person I've ever met, Yuji...but what makes you so willing to ask about this?"
"So I can help you with it, duh."
"Hm?"
The sorcerer hissed as he reeled in a whole lot of nothing, winding up before casting into the waters once more, "I mean...if whatever this issue is means that much to ya Gramps, then of course I'm gonna help you with it...I'd be a pretty lousy guest-...I mean...Grandson, if I didn't."
"You don't even know the scales, and you're trying to involve yourself?... Yuji, this goes beyond you and I, it-"
Itadori just stuck out a hand, "Yeah-yeah...I'm not tryna be rude, but I've heard and done this before, Gramps...and puttin' my life on the line is nothing new to me, but besides, if someone like you is that invested in this, then that just means it's worth doing, right?"
...
...
Ozpin just shook his head, "You're really something else, aren't you?... I almost don't know what to say. This usually entails me convincing someone why this is so important...telling them to throw their very existence to the wind for a cause they may never fully understand...you just might be the first to truly volunteer."
The Headmaster reached up, plucking his glasses off to give the teen his full attention, "...I could spend a lifetime telling you about her, but neither you nor I have that sort of attention to detail in us...but if I were to describe her in one word: she was my wife...and it only makes this that much harder."
Yuji nodded, "I bet...I had to help fight my...mom...you know? But it just isn't the same."
"...You did?"
"Mhm...but I can't really say it was any love lost. The person she was...well...it wasn't who she ended as...that woman might have died before I was even born...your situation sounds worse."
The Director watched a fish dancing around his line, not quite sure if it would take the bait or not, "Change is just a part of life. No one quite remains the same, progressing bit by bit every day, through minor encounters or existential events beyond anything you or I could understand...but the common mistake people often make is assuming that progress is inherently good-"
Yuji nodded along, "Yeah, don't matter if it's right or wrong, that wheel just keeps turnin', and the rest of us are sorta just caught up in stuff that comes with it."
Ozpin kept staring ahead, "You always hope people can change for the better, but what does better mean? Is it what you or I think of as good? What makes it worth more than someone else's perception of right and wrong?... These are the things I keep asking myself, knowing there's no answer, just...wondering if things could've gone differently between us."
Itadori felt a bite and pulled, reeling in a tiny little bass before lazily chucking it back into the water, "I dunno about hard stuff like that...I just think you can do whatever ya want as long as it isn't hurtin' anybody...but I guess it's probably different for immortal people like you, huh?"
The Director's eyes widened at that, "How do you-"
Yuji waved him off as he cast another line out, "It's not a big deal, Gramps. You really aren't the first person I met like that. See, back home, there was this...guy...girl...I dunno, but their name was Tengen, and they were reeeeal old, and stayed alive by, like...merging with people every couple hundred years, and their souls were still in there, sorta like yours."
"And that...doesn't bother you?"
Itadori shrugged, "I mean...it's not like the ones in ya are fightin' back, so I can't imagine they're all that pissed at you about it. I'm not all that sure how it works here, but vessels and hosts are sorta normal for sorcerers."
Ozpin just shook his head, thinking back to what Glynda had told him a few weeks prior, "...You really are too understanding for your age, you know that?"
Yuji bit his cheek, yanking his fishing pole to the side, letting off a hiss as another catch got away, "Nah, I'm just not a fan of drama, like, what am I gonna do? Yell at ya and go, 'Oh, that's so messed up, Gramps. How could you?' And then not talk to you for like a week?"
The vessel rolled his eyes at the thought, "Stuff like that doesn't really change anything; you're just shoutin' words and gettin' mad insteada doing somethin' useful...besides, it's not like you're a bad person or anything. I mean, I think you're pretty great, at least."
With his eye on the watery prize, Itadori kept talking, "You took me in and gave me all kindsa help without expectin' anything back...Like, sure, I beat up that...Bird Lady-
Ozpin chimed in, "Raven Branwen-"
"Yeah, her...but what I'm getting at is...You're a stand-up guy, Gramps, so I'm with ya on this."
The man sadly laughed to himself, "While I...truly appreciate the sentiment...this spans beyond us...you see, her longevity or rather...why she's lived so long is different from mine...With every death, I move to a new host and begin again, but Salem isn't like that."
Ozpin let off a sigh, "Simply put, she cannot die under any circumstance under our control, making her immortal in every sense of the word."
Yuji stared at him-
...
...
"Have you tried throwing her into space?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Yeah, I saw it on this awesome show about Jojo and his Bizarre Adventures! See, this dude they were fightin' was like that and had a buncha animal powers, so they used a volcano to shoot him into space, and he turned into a rock and floated off!"
...
...
"haha...hahahahahaha."
As the Headmaster fell into a chuckling fit, Itadori could only tilt his head, "I don't get it...What's so funny?"
Ozpin raised a hand, swiping a finger over his eye, "I'm sorry, it's just...Out of every possible response in the world, I didn't expect you to say something like that. You do realize how high the stakes are, right?"
Yuji nodded, clenching a fist, "Yeah! This ain't my first life or death fight, Gramps. But when you're facin' someone real strong like that, you don't just sit down and go, 'Ah crap, she's got a technique like that? I gotta get outa here, or I'm finished!'"
The Professor raised a brow at that one, feeling like the teen was referencing something specific, but let him continue, "Times like this are when you buckle down and get working! 'Cause it's either we do this, or that evil lady gets to do whatever she wants. And I dunno about you, but me and my buddies worked too damn hard to keep the world safe just to let someone like that ruin it."
Ozpin studied the sorcerer for a moment, "...You've had a hard life, haven't you, Yuji?"
That completely derailed the vessel's train of thought.
"Eh?"
Taking a sip of his beloved drink, the man watched the sun shining overhead, "I'm aware of how ironic it is for me to preach about this at an institution like Beacon, but...the way you talk so casually of violence and your own well being...there's a deep sadness to it, and one someone your age shouldn't have at all."
Ozpin let off a hum. "You should be concerning yourself with the joys life has to offer, experiencing the world with friends as you slowly learn the ways of the Huntsman, but instead...you seem to have already gone through so much. In all my years, I don't think I've ever quite met someone as strong as you are, but I'm sure that's come at some terrible cost."
Itadori gently rubbed a hand through his pink strands of hair as the wind passed by, "Mmm...I won't say any of it's been easy, 'cause I'd be lyin' if I did, but...I don't really know how to say it-"
He looked around at the lush greenery and bustling campus off in the distance, "It's just...I've met a lot of really good people here and at home, and when I seem em' livin' good lives, not having to deal with the same stuff I did, it...feels like it was worth it...like all that pain had some meaning by not going to someone else."
Yuji bristled as a flurry of horrid memories flashed to mind, from Sukuna's rampages to the horrible deaths of his friends he couldn't stop, but forced the awful feeling back, "...I'm not the childish sorta person that whines about how unfair stuff is...yeah, my life's kinda sucked, but there's been some good out of it too...I mean...I can't say this is exactly where I wanna be, but if it wasn't for you and this school, I'd have never met all my friends here so-..."
Ozpin raised his mug, "A light in every darkness."
"Yeah, and as long as I can keep these peaceful days goin'...well...that's enough for me I guess...even if I found a way home, I'm not leavin' until I know you guys'll be alright."
The Director silently nodded to himself, "Then...if you're so certain this is what you want...after the celebration's over and we have a moment to discuss things with my associate...I'll tell you the truth of what's really going on...but first, there's something I want to say."
The Headmaster sat there in silence for a moment, staring down at his drink, "Yuji...while I may not have had the privilege of knowing your grandfather, from one old man to another, I can tell you this-"
He reached over, dropping a hand on the vessel's shoulder, "I know, without a doubt in my mind, that he'd be proud of the person you've become."
An old voice echoed in the teen's mind, those same words that drove him to keep trying, even after he kept failing again and again.
'It doesn't have to be all the time.'
'Just whenever you can.'
'You may feel lost. Don't expect gratitude.'
'Just help them.'
*Drip-Drop...Drip-Drop
"Yuji, are you-?"
The vessel just looked away, with only the occasional droplet splashing against the water as a sign of what he felt, "It's nothing...don't mind me."
Ozpin nodded, keeping his hand in place as he looked back toward the horizon, "Take as long as you need."
...
Sometime later, back in the dorms
"Achoo!"
Wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, Weiss grumbled to herself, feeling like all kinds of death, "Stupid tiger... 'oh, you might get a little sick,'...make me miss out on an important lesson with your stupid mangy blood that just haaad to hit me."
A cold breeze wafted through the open window, sending the heiress into shivers, "Could've hit Yang...could've hit Blake...could've hit that no good leader...at least I try in class, but noooo, it's always m-"
*CRASH
The sounds of smashing wood rang out across the tiny room, and she tried to ignore it; she really did, but the perfectionist needed to see what had happened to her self-proclaimed space.
"Of course..."
With a grunt, she flipped over, "That's what happens when you stack your bed on a bunch of flimsy book-"
"Yo!"
There was a hand in her face and a potato-faced grin behind it, and if it weren't for how used to his antics she was, the Schnee would've freaked out, but honestly, she just didn't have it in her today.
Weiss deadpanned, "Breaking and entering."
Yuji tilted his head, ignoring the sounds of clattering silverware in his other hand, "Huh?"
She glanced at the tray as it bobbed back and forth, "Possibly armed with a deadly weapon."
"What?"
She stared at him with those cold blue eyes, "Just listing the crimes I'll have you charged with. Want me to keep going?"
Itadori just shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to care at all, "If ya want, I'll just add 'em to my list...I'd bet it'd have to be pretty long at this point."
Why was he so casual about that?
"You have a criminal record?"
He waved a finger in the air, "Ehhhh, it's not like I ever got arrested or anything...well...there was that one time they had me tied up and wanted to execute me, but that was for another thing, but anyways...what was I talking about again?"
Weiss just stared at him before slumping into her pillow, not sure what to make of ANY of what he just said, "I'm...eugh...I'm too sick to deal with your craziness right now...how did you even get in?"
Yuji tilted his head to the side, toward the open window, "I jumped."
Of course, he did.
"And...why didn't you just knock if you wanted to bother me?"
That stupid goofy grin came back, "Well, I didn't wanna make you get up if you aren't feelin' good, so I figured I'd come help ya myself!"
Please no.
She ignored him, trying to fall asleep, but the sound of him dragging a chair woke her from that blissful, Yuji-free dream, ending with him sitting right in front of her with a steaming bowl in his hands, "I made ya soup!"
Her deadpan became even more dull, whether from sickness or sheer annoyance; no one could say.
Weiss gave him a stare to end all stares, "Not hungry."
Itadori didn't seem deterred in the slightest, scooting closer, "Well, ya ain't gonna get better if you don't eat...at least...that's how the movies do it."
"...What?"
"You know? How in the movies they like...have a character get sick, and then their buddy's gotta come take care of 'em? Then they, like, give 'em a sip of some chicken noodle or somethin', and they magically get better? I wanna do that."
She felt a blood vessel pop with that comment, but it only left a disappointed sigh as she squeezed her eyes shut, "That being...so...incredibly dumb aside...why are you bringing movies into this?"
Yuji tilted his head, "Oh, well, I can't get sick, so...I'm kinda just guessin' here."
...
...
She sighed, slumping into her pillow, already done with Yuji-nonsense for the day, "...Of course you can't...well, not sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not eating that."
"Come onnnn, you know you wanna!"
"No. I really don't."
"I'm a good cook, I promise!"
"I'm not leaving this blanket."
"Then, I'll feed ya!"
...
...
*CRACK
Something in Weiss snapped as she shot up, holding her hands in an X, her face bright red, "Never in a million years!"
Yuji didn't so much as flinch, his potato face growing more potato-y...by the moment, "Even if I fly it like an airplane?"
Weiss crossed her arms, looking off in a huff as he tried to bring the bowl closer, "It's still waaarm-"
She raised a finger, and a glyph appeared over it-
Yuji stared at it, "Eh?"
*SCHWING
The next thing he knew, his hands and the bowl were completely encased in ice. He got an all too smug look from the Schnee, "I don't know...it looks a little chilly to me."
Yuji deadpanned, "Now that's just cold."
A vein bulged on her forehead, "Don't bring Yang into thi-"
"Fuga"
*BWOOOSH
Weiss flinched as a massive flame erupted from his hands, flash-frying the ice and leaving the bowl just as steaming hot as before. All the while, the vessel just stared at her indignantly, "Honestly, you shouldn't be wastin' energy like that if you're not gonna eat...that can't be good for ya."
"How-"
She was stammering, looking around yet not seeing any dust to speak of on his person, "How did you just do that?"
Without missing a beat, the sorcerer scooped up a spoonful and held it out, his trademark grin returning in the blink of an eye, "I'll tell ya if you eat."
...
...
Weiss made Weiss noises, stewing in annoyance as morbid curiosity chewed away at her, "...Why do you even care? You're the one that caused this in the first place."
Yuji nodded, "And I wanna make it right...but besides, friends gotta look out for each other, right?"
...
...
He quirked a brow, watching as she glared down at her lap, "Sooo...are you gonna-woah!"
There was a shivering finger in his face, "Tell anyone about this, and I'll ruin you, Itadori, got it!?"
Huh...that was the first time someone called him by his last name here...he still wasn't used to most people calling him Yuji. Westerners sure are weird.
"Uh...okay?...so...should I just-"
She sighed, "...Just get it over with...and I swear if you make a single airplane noise, I'll-"
He placatingly waved a hand. "I got it-I got it...sheesh, you know, for a girl that's all about bein' cold, you sure are feisty."
She looked away in a huff, "Hmph."
Yuji could only deadpan, not sure if this girl was gonna try and bite him for doing this, but the second he brought it in, she moved like a bolt of lightning, taking a rapid chomp before looking away again.
*Gulp
...
...
"So you can cook...not as good as Klein, but it's good enough."
"Who's Klein?"
"My butler, don't you have one?"
"PFFFT-hahahaha!"
Weiss looked back at him, watching the sorcerer bust out into a laugh, "What? What's so funny?"
Yuji shrugged, "Nothin' it's just...I grew up poor as dirt, dude. It was just me and my grandfather in a small apartment, livin' off his pension...with how much I did for the guy, I was basically his butler anyways."
The heiress squinted a bit, "And that didn't bother you at all? Having to do all the work for him?"
The vessel fondly smiled at the memory, "I mean... it's not like I minded or anything, but he always made such an ordeal outa me helpin' him do stuff. Cooking, cleaning, whatever. I took care of it so he wouldn't have to, but pride's a tricky thing to get around, so it's not like he ever said thanks for it, but...I dunno. I still liked that I could make his day a little easier."
The Schnee stared at him for a second, "...You're so weird."
"Am I?"
She looked out the window and toward the blue sky ahead, "I don't understand it. Why do you just...shove your way into everyone else's business and then act like wasting your day away for nothing in return is just...normal?"
Itadori hummed for a moment, leaning back in his seat, "But I do get somethin' out of it."
Her focus came back to him, "Hm?"
"...I can't really explain why. It's sorta how I've always been. I just...like helping people is all...making someone smile after they went through a bad day is one of the things that makes me feel good about myself, so I do it, and that's all there is to it."
He scooted his chair closer, his grin coming back in full force, "And one day, I'm gonna get you to smile too!"
...
...
She felt an awkward stir in her stomach, like a knot that kept tightening, "...why?"
He just gave that goofy potato-faced smile back, "'Cause I wanna see it!"
*Poof
Her face went red as she just stared down, refusing to look at him anymore.
"Weiss?"
"Helloooo?"
"You good?"
The Schnee glared so hard it was a miracle her bed didn't freeze, "...Just feed me the stupid soup."
That sort of awkward silence didn't sit well with the vessel, so within moments, his thoughts were stirring as he slowly brought the spoon to the heiress, "Well...since I owe ya an answer...I guess we gotta start with the story of how I learned to do all this...Oh! I got one that'll make you laugh!"
There were so many good ones to choose from, but Yuji started simple, describing his first 'training' session with a movie marathon and a certain angry teddy bear-corpse thing while she listened in silence, slowly but surely regaining her stride until the Schnee was making eye contact with him again.
Within minutes, he was knee-deep in the trenches of Yuji story-telling.
"And then, right when I get to the good part, the intel lady was tellin' the cool main character to cut the red wire, and he's all, 'I'll trust you,' and ya know, I'm like laser-focused on what's gonna happen, and so I go for a sip of my cola, then-"
He slammed a fist into his palm, "BAM! The little dude socked me so hard I flew off the couch before I could even swallow my drink-"
The Schnee leaned up a bit, "No, he didn't-"
"Oh yeah, he did! That freakin' bear was such a tool! I'm sittin' there spitting up my drink, and he's on the couch waving his hands around like he's all cool, and of course, that's when my teacher walked in, and the look he gave me was just...eugh, pure cringe!"
Yuji looked dejected for a second, "I seriously had a hard time looking at him for like a month after..."
...
...
*pfff
It was so quiet he almost couldn't hear it, but when the sorcerer looked back at the girl, she had a hand over her mouth, trying to hold it back-
Oh, this was his chance!
His phone was out in the blink of an eye, and the second her hand dropped, he snapped a picture, trusting fate to give him that picture without her noticing, but she definitely heard the click, "What was that?"
For once, Yuji actually played dumb, looking around, "Who knows...I mean, you guys got your beds on like...wire and-"
The Schnee dulled, "Don't get me started on the books...my sister would have this place torn down for violating safety protocols."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
The vessel was kind of scared to meet a strict lady like that.
Soon, the heiress let off a huff, "...I wonder what they're doing out there...we have to be missing so many important lectures."
Yuji raised a brow, "You're that worried about it?"
"How can you not be? This is our future at stake here. Every moment you don't study and work for what you want is an opportunity to lose it all."
The sorcerer was seeing question marks, "Dude...have you never been on a field trip before?"
"...why are you asking?"
"Okay, you haven't-"
"Hey!"
Itadori just laughed, cutting her off, "You don't do work on field trips, Weiss. It's basically just your teacher pointing at stuff while you pretend you aren't zoning out."
"...I...I knew that...I just...don't like missing out on valuable...life lessons! Yes, that's it...life lessons!"
This girl would never admit she was wrong about anything.
She sighed, leaning back against the wall, "If only that miracle fix was real...I might miss a few days of class at this rate...and it's your-"
"I know-I know, my fault...hmmm-"
Yuji started to think, and that was often a deadly thing, "Welllll...there is...one thing I can try...but I've never really tried it on another person before."
"Is it...dangerous?"
She got a shrug as a response, "I dunno."
"...that's reassuring."
He waved her off, "Well, like I said, no harm, no foul. We don't gotta do it if you don't wanna."
...
...
She looked toward him, "...Do it."
"Eh?...Are you s-"
"You said you'll help me, so help me!..."
Her face burned red again as she looked away, mumbling, "...Please."
Itadori just let off a sigh, knowing fully well that this wouldn't be nearly 1/4 as effective as it would be if he did it on himself...well, with the benefit that this was a really weak poison...so...50/50.
"Gimme your hand."
For once, Weiss didn't put up a fuss, dropping her pale digits in his palm, getting a laugh from the vessel as he closed around them, "Sorry, it's just-"
"Your hands are really cold."
She didn't respond, and so the sorcerer went to work-
"You go-"
"Fwoo-"
"Hyoi-"
"Fwoo-Hyoi."
Weiss started to glare, "What sort of mumbo-jumbo are you-"
*BRRRRRR
A white light engulfed the vessel's hand, sending a weird pulse through her person, and almost immediately, she could feel a sense of relief washing over her, as if the cold was just-
*TSSSSS
Burning away
It lasted for a few minutes until the vessel pulled away, "So...howddya feel?"
Weiss gently pulled her hand back, slowly clenching a fist again and again, "...Better...-"
Yuji just flashed her another smile, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "That's good! ...uh...sorry, I didn't think of doin' that sooner. You know I'm...kinda slow on the uptake with stuff like-"
"...It's fine."
"Hm?"
The Schnee gave him a bashful look, "It...wasn't all bad, so we'll just call it even, alright?"
Huh...normally she'd be hitting him right now...maybe this girl WAS making progress.
Itadori's smile grew a bit before he glanced at a nearby clock, "Well, our teams are gonna get back soon, and I gotta pretend I was sleepin', or else Pyrrha's gonna get all sad, so I'll see ya!"
She just watched him go, and the second the door closed, the heiress gave a small wave, "...Bye."
She just sat there in silence for a few seconds, going from a solid 1 out of 10 to feeling just fine in such a short amount of time. It gave the girl insane whiplash, but it was also because of...him.
Was he really helping her for no reason other than...what? He just wanted to?
What does that even mean? And why did it bug her so much?
Weiss shrugged, looking up at the ceiling, a faint smile on her face, "He's definitely weird."
She soon hopped out of bed, looking to get ready for the day, but stopped as a familiar voice echoed in the hallway.
"Oh, hey, Yuji! You missed the field trip!"
"Oh, what's up, Ruby? Where'd you guys end up going?"
"We sorta just got sap from trees...you...might wanna go to the hospital. I think Nora's in a sugar coma."
"When is she not?"
"You know...that's fair."
Itadori let off a hum of thought, "Hey, wanna take a selfie with me? It's a new thing I wanna do and-"
"OHYESYESYESYESWECANPOSTPICTURESANDBEBESTIES!"
Weiss just shook her head, going back to work until-
"Oh, what's that picture?"
"Uh...nothing...what picture?...I don't see any picture-"
"Is that-"
"No..."
"NO WAY! Is that-"
"No, it isn't-"
"Is that...Weiss...and is she SMILING!? It's so CUUUTE! You gotta send me that right nownownowPLEAAAAASE!"
"SHHHH! Keep your voice down! She's gonna kill me if she knew I took a picture of th-"
*CRASH
The door exploded off its hinges-
*FLASH
A single picture was taken, and it was the sorcerer's face getting smooshed as a pale fist cracked against his cheek.
Gramps was right; progress really does go both ways, and some things will never change.
...
And that's a wrap!
I know some people aren't fond of the more lax arcs I write, but I love some good fluff and bond development while building up the narrative.
Also, feel free to keep arguing about the pairing; it's been a lot of fun sitting on the sidelines as a referee to this, lmao.
With everything said and done, take it easy, and I'll see you guys in the next one; cheers!
Discord:
/SNYskaHJEU