Note: This work is officially caught up to where it is on Ao3, so updates will be dramatically slower now. I'm still writing of course! I just don't have a regular update schedule thanks to my classes, my job, and general life and such lol.
So…
What the fuck could she do now? Deny, deny, deny? She didn't want to discredit Todo, but maybe she could twist it somehow? She'd been the one who was up close and personal with him. Maybe add in a little childish innocence and he'd drop the subject altogether when he realized that she appeared to not have a clue what Kenjaku might have intended.
Or maybe she wasn't quite that good of an actor. Just the thought of it made a chill run down her spine, let alone the memory of his hands-
Not gonna do it, not gonna do that to herself right now. She felt better! She wasn't going to sabotage herself by constantly circling back to that event.
Speaking of feeling better…
She felt lighter somehow, with all that cursed energy gone, not just being used up, but actually gone. It was like she'd gotten a haircut or something, a weight was gone from her shoulders. It was a relief.
Satoru was eyeing her consideringly. He'd definitely seen what she'd tried to do, but hadn't said anything quite yet, sitting back to observe. Waiting for something?
She wasn't going to do it again soon after all. Pushing herself into a severe deficit would likely just hurt and leaving her with too little cursed energy to use would really just make her vulnerable. She'd never needed to even try and exhaust her cursed energy, so as a result, she wasn't aware of her limits. She wasn't going to push herself to find them right now, it just wasn't a good idea. Not to mention how it could affect her seal. Her limit was fifty percent, capable of being pushed to sixty if needed. The others definitely wouldn't agree to that, but she was pretty confident that it was possible.
Someday though, she wanted to find those limits. Mostly she just wanted to see what could happen, but also, she had fucking superpowers! She wanted to use them! What fucking point was there in having superpowers if she didn't use them as much as she could?
Not today though.
So, instead, she worried incessantly, no matter how much Yu-nii tried to make her relax and focus on something else. He was suddenly very careful about his hand placement too, probably worried about bringing back bad memories by accident. It was sweet, and probably helpful, but it still made her wilt a little. She wasn't broken all of the sudden.
Still, for some reason, that little bit of resentment just didn't hold as much sway anymore. It still stung, but it was far easier to push out of her head.
How was what she did just then different than what she usually did as she used her cursed energy? Sure, both 'enchanting' and normal usage used up cursed energy, but something about it felt different. Maybe the way she used it up mattered? It was so quick, maybe that did something?
"Satoru-nii-san, did something weird happen when I enchanted that rock?" She finally caved and asked. He pounced immediately.
"Explain what you think you did." He ordered first.
"Told my cursed energy to go in the rock?"
"That's it?"
"To… stay with Todo? And to watch over him too. If he gets attacked, he'll always have an object he can swap with! He's super smart, so the extra utility won't go unused!'
"And it didn't want to?" He asked, like to confirm a suspicion.
"Not… not really…" Had she fucked up somehow?
"You're fine," he assured, reading her suddenly guilty and uncertain face, "it just makes a difference. It did obey in the end, right? Like something gave way almost?"
She nodded slowly. Was that the better option? Had he been able to see it?
"It didn't really feel like it was mine anymore," She admitted slowly. "Even though I knew it had been, I sort of separated it? It wasn't trying to come back anymore."
Her last sentence made Satoru pause. "Come back?" He questioned, his tone carefully controlled.
"It… wants to come back once it's done? Can you elaborate?" Yu-nii asked, clearly concerned with her weird-ass cursed energy.
"When I send it out, it comes back. I told it not to this time. It didn't like it. But I told it to stay, and it popped and then it wasn't trying to come back anymore and stopped feeling like me." She explained shortly. What, were they trying to build suspense or something? Pointless.
"So, you successfully severed its connection to you in order to create the cursed object?" Satoru asked, not really a question, but she nodded anyway. That was probably the best way to put it at least. Also, he acknowledged it as a cursed object! She really did make one!
"Is that a bad thing?" Yu-nii asked worriedly.
"No. It's actually the professional thing to do, but… it is generally very difficult. It shouldn't just pop and give way like that. It takes an extremely delicate touch. Sever the connection even the slightest bit incorrectly, and it's supposed to be horrifically painful. Do it badly, and it can kill the sorcerer attempting to do it. The fact that you just- just did it without much difficulty at all was very unusual."
Hm. And she just told it, ordered it, really, to do it and it did? What sort of handicap assist did she have? No wonder Satoru was saying the seal could be intended for making a super soldier, that was a huge thing, apparently.
She wasn't mad.
Enchant, enchant, enchant~
Oh, how she loved the idea of creating magical items!
She wasn't going to explore it yet.
She wasn't.
Not even just a little bit? Maybe Satoru needed a second look or something.
"Midori-chan," Oop, there went her plan, Yu-nii's warning voice was back, "please don't do that again."
Ever?
She turned her most pleading eyes on him, craning her head to look up at him in an attempt to make herself even smaller and cuter. Surely not ever, right? Just for a little while? Please?
He caved.
"Only with supervision, and with Ieiri-san to help you in case something goes wrong."
"I understand!" She said quickly, because he looked like he was thinking up more limitations. Okay, maybe she didn't agree, exactly, but- Enchanting! Who wouldn't want to do some of that? Maybe Satoru would find her a rifle to enchant, and she could finally put some of her old knowledge to effect. She hadn't been a great shot, but she could hit the target well enough! Guns didn't care about how old you were either, and as long as it wasn't too high caliber, she might be able to handle it even at this age!
Maybe she could somehow mix in a little ice bomb technique into the bullets?
Satoru's hands clapped her on the shoulders, and his grin was bright and almost feral. "You've got a plan?" He asked eagerly, bending down to be closer to her, over her shoulder. It blocked out the sun a little, which was nice.
"I need a gun! A rifle!"
"Wh- NO!" Yu-nii yelped, horrified by the insinuations of handing a four year old a gun to play around with.
"I don't need bullets. I want to try and use my technique to make those, so I don't have to worry about running out." She assured him casually.
Satoru stepped in with an even wider grin, sensing the opportunity for chaos. He ruffled her hair in the way he loved to do, a fondness in his voice as he said, "Just leave it to me! Anything for my cute little sister!"
Yu-nii's voice only reached a higher pitch as he protested loudly, "No! You can't give a young child a deadly weapon! She has NO training!"
"I have to agree." Nanami added, coming in to support his classmate quickly.
"If you'd prefer to keep enemies at a distance, perhaps a bow would be better?" Suguru offered, but she shook her head quickly.
"Do I look like I could draw a bow with enough draw weight to actually do anything at all? I've got puny arms, there's no way I'd be able to do anything useful with a bow anytime soon. I need something to even the odds a little! Do you really like the idea of me with a sword or a knife against anything?" She argued back, not giving up. She really does need some sort of weapon. Anything, really. Literally anything. And something she already knew how to wield was icing on the cake.
"A rifle you said?" Satoru asked absently, and when she looked up, he was already on his phone. Whether browsing on the internet or contacting someone. Did phones have browsers yet?
"Yaga-sensei would actually kill you if you give her a gun like that." Nanami said pointedly, but Satoru just shrugged.
"She's not staring that man down again without being able to fight back."
That shut the argument down in an instant.
"It might be best for you to get something smaller at first. I doubt there's anything small enough for you. Would that be fine?"
"A rifle gives me the best range. Shotguns need me to be too close, and that kickback would really suck. A pistol would be alright. Revolver would have more of a kick, but you might be able to find one small enough for me. I don't care if it's automatic or not, as long as I can do it even if I'm tired." Revolvers also had the 'cool cowboy' bonus too. A revolver would be an acceptable substitute, if needed. It would probably be easier to make ammo for it too.
Now they were all staring down at her. Shock, a little bit of horror. Satoru looked pleased though, probably that at least she knew what she was asking for.
So, she knew basic info about guns. So what?
"Ahha! Check this one out!" He said, showing her a picture.
Hmm… it was definitely a revolver, but… what the fuck was up with the barrel? Why was it so long?
"It needs to be small enough for my hands. I'm not sure I could reach the trigger."
Satoru made a noise of agreement and grabbed her hand measuring it against his palm for a moment before letting go and snatching his phone back quickly.
"You're gonna get put on a list if you search that, you know. Are guns illegal in Japan? I feel like they're illegal. Also, tiny guns have a lot of recoil, so the grip is the thing that needs to be small, not the gun itself. I don't want it to smack me in the face."
"Maybe we need to find a gun store then. The next time I'm sent overseas, I'll take you with me, alright? We'll find you something you can use." Satoru decided. She'd technically be breaking the law, but honestly, she didn't care that much. Kenjaku could rip her limb from limb if he felt the whim.
Alright. She officially had a future weapon. Sure, she'd probably change it later to something that fit her fighting style, but right now she needed an equalizer, and she needed it fast. This world wasn't likely to give her the luxury of growing up slowly.
"Thank you."
Satoru didn't respond for a good while, but his grip on her shoulder tightened a little, the hand holding his phone squeezing it tightly. He probably hated that she needed to defend herself at such a young age. Sure, he'd done it… but he was Satoru Gojo. Little hypocrite. Like him having to defend himself as a child wasn't horrifying.
She wanted a hug now. She scanned for her options. Nanami wasn't really an option, because he would accept out of duty, but be wildly uncomfortable. Satoru was always a solid option, but she'd be able to hug him for a good while, so she should pick someone else. Her options were Junpei, Suguru, or Yu-nii. Junpei had been quiet for the most part, hanging out near Nanami. He'd just observed the whole gun thing. Probably didn't feel like any of his observations would matter much, so stayed out of it.
Maybe she just didn't need to choose at all. She loved hugging all of them.
"I need a hug." She announced to no one in particular.
Bam!
In an instant she was swept up in someone's arms, the air leaving her lungs as she was snatched up. Suguru, judging by the clothing. He looked smug as hell, Yu-nii just a moment too slow. He looked so disappointed too, but Suguru had her firmly in his hold and was eying his underclassman like a potential thief. Silly. She'd hug him as soon as Suguru was done hoarding her like a dragon.
He didn't relinquish her for a good while, probably a good ten minutes, during which Yu-nii sulked. The moment Suguru let her down, she was back in the air again, being held by Yu-nii this time. She giggled at the way he hunched over her protectively, like Suguru was going to change his mind and snatch her back.
They were being intentionally silly, weren't they? Not that it wasn't working of course, she was giggling like she was watching a comedy routine, especially when Suguru paused for a moment, mock considering, and then lunged for her. They twirled and spun around, Yu-nii trying to keep ahold of her, and Suguru trying to snatch her back, and they kept spinning around in circles.
It took a few minutes, but Satoru stepped in, flinging his arms around Suguru in a hug that gave Yu-nii just enough time to abscond with her into the building. Suguru had been stopped dead by the contact, his face reddening a little, and the redness spread like a wildfire the moment Satoru leaned closer to breathe something in his ear. He shoved Satoru away roughly, one hand coming up to cover his face with his sleeve to hide the blush. Satoru's grin was downright rakish, thank God they left her sight. They could flirt in private.
Nanami came hurrying after them, Junpei's hand in his as he got them both out of range of anything inappropriate that they might accidentally witness. The teen looked like he'd just narrowly escaped a tornado, much to her amusement.
"You really want a gun, Midori-chan?" Yu-nii asked with concern. Sigh. She'd have to explain this a bit more thoroughly it seemed like.
"There's nothing that I can do to stop Kenjaku next time he tries to take me. Todo managed to catch him by surprise. It won't happen again, it just won't happen. He'll go for Todo first next time, if he doesn't try to kill him before then. I need to be able to be dangerous from a distance, and a gun is the most efficient way to do that. He isn't a cursed spirit, a bullet will hurt him. Sure, like Satoru-nii-san, he can probably heal. But getting shot in the head isn't something most people can shake off. Especially if I can use my cursed technique to make the bullets explode. It isn't something he'd be able to shake off instantly unless he could block it somehow."
His face had fallen with every firm word. She knew it probably sucked that a kid had to think about things like that, but she did. The world wasn't that safe.
It just wasn't.
"Why a gun, specifically?" Nanami asked, clearly fishing for more information.
"Distance, like I said."
"Would a simple pellet gun not work? It would certainly be far less… irresponsible, to give you." He continued to press. Junpei was frowning, engrossed in the drama occurring in front of him.
"It's the difference between a sharp and a blunt sword, I guess. It would be fine I guess, but the lower velocity might hurt the amount of damage I could actually do. That man would have absolutely no qualms about doing whatever is necessary for him to get what he wants."
"And what exactly does he want from you?"
Ouch. Like a bloodhound, sniffing out exactly what she didn't really want to discuss. She just shrugged a little. She had to say something, but what?
"I think he knew me before. I'm not super sure how, but he really freaks me out, just at first sight. I know he's relentless, that he's ruthless, and that he wants something bad, but… I know he has a cursed technique, he can swap bodies, but he always has a row of stitches on his forehead."
"He… knew you? You lived in the orphanage, right?" Yu-nii wondered aloud.
"I guess. We'd have to talk to them to find out about anyone suspicious who was hanging around, but I'd bet on him either being or killing the caretaker who was supposed to watch the kids that night." She offered, hoping they'd take the bait.
"Why though? Children in the orphanage get regular medical checkups. If he was looking for a test subject, if he's the one who made the seal? Doesn't it seem like something that would get caught? Or does he simply not care?" Nanami mused,
Was she the only one?
"What ever happened to the bodies?" She asked in a hushed whisper. Yu-nii's attention snapped from Nanami to her in an instant, a sharp inhale escaping his mouth. "The other kids in the orphanage. They all died, they said. It's hard to collect evidence from whatever is left buried under a building. Whatever he did to them wouldn't have more than a few flecks of proof anymore. He essentially destroyed every loose end besides me, and I don't even remember what happened. It's all conjecture of course, but it isn't unreasonable either."
"So, you think he wants to kill you in order to hide his experiments?" Nanami asked sharply. She shook her head.
"I'm at least partially a success. He's interested in the seal. Having a living subject who can tell him what it feels like is definitely a plus, so he probably doesn't want me dead. Especially if he can raise that subject exactly as he wants, for whatever he wants to use it for. A vessel, a soldier, whatever."
"That won't happen." Yu-nii said immediately, firmly enough that she actually believed it for a few moments. It was a nice assurance, but not really something that was within his means to promise.
"Satoru-nii isn't going to leave me alone for a moment now, not if there isn't just Mr. Stitches-brain going after me. He's going to be hypervigilant for the next few weeks at least. I'll be fine." She agreed despite her inner doubt. It wasn't a bad idea to have a little hope along with her pragmatism.
Kenjaku was a patient, after all. He had all the time in the world. Maybe not even within this year, maybe not next, but someday, he will strike again. He wouldn't be so careless, this time. Eventually, people's guards would drop. The police would relax, Satoru would get more comfortable as his power grew, and Kenjaku would worm his way through the tiniest little gap.
That day wasn't today though.
He wasn't the only one who was planning for that moment.
She wasn't a violent person. She didn't usually wish for death on anyone, not the higher-ups, not cursed spirits, not even politicians. Not even Mahito, though she'd be delighted to see him safely under Suguru's control.
Putting an icicle through that parasitic brain of his would feel like heaven though. Finally, that crushing relief that Kenjaku was gone, for good. No longer living in constant vigilance, always looking upwards, searching for his presence in the faces of all the people she should be able to trust.
It was maddening, sometimes.
"Mido-" Whatever Yu-nii was going to say was interrupted as Satoru popped into existence, making all of them jump, and she was in his arms before she even realized it.
Satoru's collar was all messed up, upturned in one spot like he'd forgotten to smooth it back down. There was a slight grin still on his face, absently displayed on his face like he'd forgotten to wipe it away.
Slut.
She giggled at her own joking insult, and it made Satoru side-eye her for a few moments. He didn't confront it, but he undoubtedly sensed her playful insult towards him, just in her mind. Clearly, his sibling instincts were starting to kick in as time went on. She'd always known when her sister was talking badly about her, even in her thoughts. To be fair, it was usually written all over Alexis's face, no matter what she did to hide it.
Nanami and Yu-nii were both staring at his collar too, making Satoru finally take note and smooth it down in a rush, brushing non-existent dirt off of his uniform like he was playing it off. His face reddened though, and he started talking again quickly.
But she didn't miss the way Nanami's eyes flicked to Yu-nii for a moment, first his face and then his lips.
There must be something in the water here. Everywhere she looked, people were queer. Was Yaga? She had him pegged as either ace or straight, but he very well could like boys too.
Ugh, time to stop thinking about that. She'd wingman for him once she figured it out, or get him a little flag or something otherwise.
Focus. She was getting distracted from the drama unfolding in front of her.
Nanami had been caught staring by Yu-nii, and was now completely focused on Satoru like he was trying to play it cool. The creeping blush on his face kinda blew his cover though.
However, Yu-nii's eyes also flickered down to Nanami's lips for a moment. He tilted his head almost consideringly, before letting his attention return to Satoru. That was probably a good thing, right? It seemed that Nanami had fallen first, but Yu-nii clearly wasn't against the idea either.
If she wingmanned for Nanami, would he start to like her, just a little bit?
Maybe.
Plan: Yunami is a go then.
Or would it be Yunto? Maybe Hainami? Nabara? Who even knew? She liked Yunami the best, it just sounded good. Close to the sound of the word tsunami too, which probably would help her remember it.
Plan: Yunami- Unstoppable Wave of Love. That sounded suitably dramatic, didn't it?
It took about thirty seconds for their little tense standoff to become unbearable, even as she felt her soul doing its best to leave her body on the spot. Awkward. Nanami was staring at Satoru, Satoru was staring steadfastly at Yu-nii, as the only person who wasn't terribly embarrassed and flustered. The only one, she was getting red in the face too, just from secondhand embarrassment. Yu-nii kept his fucking cool, somehow, though he did still seem appraising, like suddenly the concept of actually dating his classmate was somehow opening up. Should she warn him that Nanami's emo phase wasn't going to last, and that he'd end up a DILF in his mere late twenties? Not that he was shallow, but that god-awful haircut would indeed be leaving at some point. It was only uphill from here.
Her attempt at distracting herself wasn't working well. Time to intervene.
"Is it time to go yet or are you going to play more with Geto-san?" She asked, completely ruthless. This standoff had to end, and that meant someone had to back down. Unfortunately for Satoru, he was an older brother to her now, which meant it was practically her job to embarrass him ruthlessly. Just like it would be his too. The joys of sibling love.
Of course, Satoru went even redder than before, the same flush that was on his cheeks then quickly spreading down his neck. He made an interesting noise, high-pitched and distressed, and it brought a smile to her face.
She was fulfilling her duties well, it seemed.
Nanami looked appraising towards her now, clearly considering her now proven abilities to embarrass the fuck out of Satoru as needed. See? She was useful! He should totally give her the chance to hang out with him!
That, of course, was what Suguru walked into, looking far more put together than his boyfriend. Not a hair out of place. Figures. He seemed the type to take care of his appearance.
It really showed how low he'd gotten in the anime, when he hadn't been able to take care of himself the way he used to. His hair down and messy, the baggy white t-shirt, like he was trying to hide how much weight he had lost, the bags under his eyes, he'd just looked so awful, she couldn't stand thinking about it. Not when she could marvel at the wondering smile and disbelieving look on his face as he brushed his hand over Satoru's hair. It was enough to make Satoru relax, and damn that loving look on his face was truly goals. Sure, she didn't want that type of partner, but damn if she didn't want someone to look at her like that someday. Was it so hard to ask for someone who would be content holding hands and cuddling? If even that, though. Not that it would ever happen now, with her age weirdness going on. Too young of a body for people her mental age, too old mentally for people her physical age. Doomed to be alone, like she hadn't been already.
That wasn't fair. She hadn't been doomed in the past at all, she'd just never been bold enough to try for it. It wasn't fair to consider herself doomed just because she was ace, it was entirely possible to find some. She just hadn't dared risk it.
"Midori-chan, you've only got another forty minutes or so before the officer comes back. What would you like to do?" Suguru asked, successfully dissipating the tension. Satoru was calmed down, Yu-nii was distracted from appraising Nanami, and Nanami was able to relax once Yu-nii's attention was turned away from him.
Hm… fuck with them, or pick something actually interesting?
It wasn't even a choice really.
"Can we play with makeup? I wanna make Satoru-nii even prettier!"
The boys around her froze. Simultaneous looks of horror on all the teenager's faces appeared for a moment, before almost instant looks of defeat. No way they were going to deny her, after all.
Not even five minutes later, she was in a chair and Satoru was sitting on the bed, looking utterly despairing. Suguru left to fetch Ieiri, who's likely leapt at the chance to give Satoru a makeover, and she'd brought over the whole shabang, complete with the weirdest colors of eyeshadow she'd ever seen. Truly garish.
She was going to make the most of this.
"I need all the glitter things you have, Ieiri-san!" She had begged the moment Ieiri had entered, and that was enough to make Satoru's eyes widen. His expression quickly switched to pleading, like he was begging for mercy.
He would get none.
She slowly, deliberately, put one hand on the top of her head, ruffling it deliberately. He brought this upon himself by absolutely ruining her hair so many times.
Gold glitter eyeshadow was the least he deserved. She might even decide to try and make him pretty too, just because she was a perfectionist like that.
Ieiri handed her a thing of primer and she got to work.
Within five minutes, she had the primer all nicely spread around, and within ten she had the foundation down. She might not be doing this revenge thing all that well. She was too by the book.
She went for the golden sparkly lipstick first, unused by Ieiri. It was probably his now, honestly.
Damn, that looked good on him.
Why'd that look so good on him?
She'd applied it thickly, but it really only served to make his lips look bigger, more noticeable. It really made them have a golden sheen.
Apparently, she'd picked the theme out already, so she went with a bit of golden sparkly eyeshadow as blush, using the soft and fluffy brush to apply it over his cheeks and along the bridge of his nose. A bit of eyeliner, a sparkly black, was applied by Satoru himself after the way his eyes went wide and horrified at the suggestion of letting either one of them so close to his eyes. Apparently, she noticed, it was perfectly acceptable for Suguru to be so close to his eyes. He was truly so in love.
He did let her apply eyeshadow, so there certainly was a good amount of trust that he had in her tiny, very unsteady hands. Of course, she stuck to the color scheme, but the one she used had much more glitter in it. Somehow, despite the glitter, when his eyes opened, they outshone the fucking glitter. Truly, his eyes were something special.
All in all, he looked so good in gold, it was truthfully unfair. She'd look garish, she knew it, and so would most everyone else here, most likely. He just looked angelic.
Now she just had to get Suguru decked out in silver…
Suguru seemed to sense her eyes upon him, because he promptly snatched up Junpei, who was still mostly observing the situation, and sat down all comfortably. Definitely a 'don't we look so comfy, would you really disturb us?' type of thing. Like someone with a cat in their lap, you just didn't make them move.
It worked. Junpei looked startled, but quickly turned to putty in Suguru's hold. It was fucking adorable.
It had been maybe twenty minutes total. She could do one more person. Would Officer Nin allow her to do him? It could let her stall being forced home for a bit.
Nanami might actually kill her, so instead she turned her pleading eyes on Yu-nii, who crumbled instantly and sat down in front of her little styling chair with a sigh. Undoubtedly, he'd fallen victim to makeover
"What's your favorite color?" She asked just to take a bit of mercy on him. Satoru looked stunning, and he was actually admiring himself in the mirror. Suguru was looking at him with such an Expression on his face, she could barely make sense of it. Probably meant something like 'wow, you're so hot, how are you my boyfriend' and a bunch of sappy, sappy sentiments too.
"I like yellow!" He said with a grin on his face. Of course he did, the cheerful idiot. He'd die smiling.
Ugh.
Don't think like that. She was gonna knock herself out of her good mood. Maybe Satoru could supervise her, and she could create another magical rock next time.
She grabbed the yellow nail polish, because yellow eyeshadow on Yu-nii would be about as flattering as putting Suguru in a vomit green clown outfit. Okay, maybe some shades of yellow would be flattering with his brown eyes, but the only yellow that they had would absolutely clash. Maybe some eyeliner? Shoko could do that, couldn't she?
He didn't hesitate to hold his hands out steadily. There was no solid ground to brace his hands on, but he was strong, easily able to hold them steadily enough. She took the brush, carefully swiping the excess polish on the inside of the rim of the bottle.
Applying the polish evenly was still difficult even with how still Yu-nii could remain, right up until her cursed energy quit staring daggers at Ieiri long enough to notice her struggles. Almost immediately, her hands steadied, the added stability doing wonders for her next stroke of the brush.
All in all, she did decently for her age. It wasn't the best she'd ever seen, but he held his nails up to the light in admiration all the same. Flatterer.
Ieiri wanted to keep her busy, so she handed her some more golden glittery eyeshadow. Yu-nii graciously leaned his head in, letting her apply some. She applied it a bit more at the corners of his eyes, almost hawklike. It looked fantastic, honestly, it definitely sharpened his features into something a bit more fierce. Truly lovely.
She turned to Nanami. Held out a bottle of black nail polish. He stared back like she'd just offered him a grenade, and right after pulling the pin too.
What, was he afraid people would think he was gay for being 'unmasculine'? He was gay. Bi, at least. Maybe he just thought it would look lame? He couldn't be seen as uncool after all.
Yu-nii turned to look at Nanami too. It was all over at that point, and Nanami reluctantly moved over, holding out his hand to her too.
Black nails for him! They looked fabulous if she said so herself, and Nanami went red when Yu-nii leaned in to take an appreciative look, taking Nanami's hand in his own. She was a natural wingwoman it seemed. Look, they were holding hands already!
"Yu-nii, are you flirting? Like Satoru-nii and Geto-san are always doing?" She asked with a serious look that belied her inner delight.
Nanami tried to yank his hand away, blushing furiously, but Yu-nii held fast, pulling it back to him.
"You've got to be careful about assumptions, Midori-chan," Yu-nii lectured lightly, lacking any real reprimand, "this would be flirting."
And he pulled Nanami's hand up towards him and kissed it with all the gentleness he would handle a day old kitten, lingering for a moment before pulling away slightly, completely focused on Nanami's face. Nanami froze, Ieiri froze, Satoru's bark of shocked laughter was muffled just in time thanks to Suguru's quick reflexes. The only way to describe Yu-nii's expression was somehow heated and soft at the same time, reassuring.
God damn. Who knew that he could be that smooth? If anyone ever did that to her, she'd be a puddle. Her saving throw would be an automatic critical failure, no luck points or inspiration to save her. They'd be holding hands by the end of the night, and she hated holding hands. That was romantic as fuck. Guess she knew what Yu-nii thought of having a relationship with Nanami.
"I see." She said, nodding sagely, "thank you, nii-san."
Holy shit, that was so fucking smooth!
She definitely saw now. She'd been teasing before, but apparently, she was a better wingwoman than she thought she was.
Nanami looked like he was about to have a heart attack on the spot, dead still.
She poked him on the arm. He didn't move. His hand was still being held, and he didn't seem to dare to even blink. He couldn't even look away from his hand, still held in Yu-nii's. He was even carefully avoiding Nanami's still drying nails. The
"Too much for you, Kento?" Yu-nii asked with a grin, "want me to stop?"
Nanami shook his head quickly, more of a reflex reaction than anything with actual thought behind it. He realized too, that he had a chance to back out of it.
The door clicked shut. She blinked, realizing that the others had already slipped out of the room.
Damn, it was every man for himself apparently.
She skedaddled. Not before she heard Yu-nii whisper something lowly, stepping just a little bit closer, heard Nanami's intake of breath. Yep- out that door, at almost a run.
Oh yeah, no more wingwoman-ing needed. It was like the moment Yu-nii realized that his classmate was an option, it was his only option. Or was it simply nothing he'd let himself consider before? He was the type of person who loved so hard, it wasn't exactly surprising that the moment that path was open, he swan-dived right down it.
It was adorable, honestly. She was so happy for them, she felt like jumping for joy.
Not even seeing Officer Nin made that joy fade entirely. She skipped over to Satoru, almost jumping into his arms, much to his visible surprise.
"Happy about that, are you?" Suguru asked with amusement.
"Yes! They're both gonna be so happy!"
"You're doing this on purpose!" Satoru accused, like he'd suddenly realized it, "you're trying to make this happen! You're a matchmaker!"
She just smiled, a cheshire grin. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. Who's to say? They'd never believe him.
Officer Nin looked actually concerned at how manically happy she looked. She didn't deign to tone it down, she just melted into Satoru's hold.
Today was, officially, a good day. She didn't care that it had really, really sucked in the beginning, she was calling it a good day.
"You're ready to go?" Officer Nin asked carefully.
"Mhm. Hugs first." She agreed easily, scrambling down from Satoru's hold just as quickly as she'd hopped up, zooming over to Suguru to give him a hug. It was no less affectionate and warm for all its brevity, and she hurried to give Junpei a tight hug too.
She stalled a bit at Ieiri, not quite at the level where she was willing to hug her yet, but instead the doctor held her hand out for a fist bump. It was acceptable. A bit distant for what she would prefer to do, but the thought of ruining her good mood by doing something that would stress her so severely… nah, a fist bump was just fine.
"Tell Yu-nii and Nanami-san that I love them and that if they need a good spot for a date then there's a really good cafe place that Satoru-nii knows about! It's got fantastic chocolate cake!" She called before hurrying back to Satoru's side, taking his outstretched hand.
It took until she reached the stairway that she balked.
She had to leave the barrier now.
Yikes.
Satoru didn't hesitate to pluck her up and wrap her up in Infinity, tucking her under his arm like a damn newspaper. She didn't feel a thing when they passed through the barrier, which probably helped her keep her cool, honestly.
Pun unintended.
Officer Nin was bemused by the whole thing, opening the door for Satoru who chucked her in the car recklessly. She bounced for goodness sake. She glared at him halfheartedly, but she was still grinning when he climbed in after her. He dragged her over next to him in a flash and she flailed playfully, which quickly turned into a playful slap fight. It was all in good fun.
Until she smacked his glasses off his face accidentally.
Oops.
They both watched them clatter to the floor of the car in silence until Satoru started to snicker.
Officer Nin was unimpressed.
"Behave." Is all he said before climbing into the driver's seat. He sighed deeply for a moment, not actually starting the car yet.
Where were they going?
He looked back at her meaningfully, and she stared at him for a good few moments. He gestured towards the car seat and she blanched a little. She'd be perfectly safe in Satoru's hold.
Officer Nin was unmoved by her distaste. She slowly, reluctantly, crawled over. Satoru had to buckle her in, and he did so while smirking like a smug bastard. Oh, wait, he was a smug bastard actually, so smirking just like himself.
Whatever. Satoru kept an arm flung over her lap, bucking himself into the middle seat at Officer Nin's stern glare. It was a nice safety net for sure. She clung to it like it was a plushie, and he just took it good-naturedly.
They drove for a while, she was watching out the window for most of it. She saw some interesting shops that she might want to explore sometime, if Satoru was interested.
They pulled up in front of a doctor's office.
Shit.
She'd gone rigid, and Satoru had noticed, tucking his phone into his pocket. He'd been tapping away at it, grinning at the phone.
"So… what're we doing here?" Her wariness was audible despite the casual tone she attempted to use.
"It's just a checkup, nothing more. We need to make sure you weren't hurt." He answered, keeping his voice carefully level. Might as well be talking about the weather.
"No… I'm not gonna do that."
All it took was one look at her stomach and the whole clusterfuck would be blown sky high. Plus, that meant people touching her, and looking at her, and just-
No.
She was not gonna do that.
"Midori-chan, I know you're reluctant, but it's very important." He said firmly.
"I'm not reluctant, I'm unwilling." She retorted sharply. Like hell that was gonna happen.
"I can't with good conscience allow you to go home without some sort of assurance that you weren't-"
"She wasn't. Leave it." Satoru interjected harshly, shooting Officer Nin a vicious look. His arm wound around her, protective.
She appreciated the situation he was in. He had to be sure. The fact that they both were being so resistant was suspicious, and the uncertainty of the situation exacerbating the fact.
"I can't just let it go this time. I understand that it will make you uncomfortable-"
"I'd actually rather die. Not even joking. They are not touching me." She snapped. Poor guy couldn't finish a sentence without getting interrupted, but if he wasn't spouting a bunch of nonsense, maybe he'd be allowed to finish.
"Why?" He finally snapped, barely keeping a hold on his temper. She went silent.
She didn't know.
It just made her feel sick. Some people had allergies, some people could think in pictures and others in words. People touching her in places they weren't supposed to, the thought of them doing it, made her feel awful. It didn't matter if they were doctors or not, it was all the same to her.
Bad.
"What, are kids not allowed to dislike things?" Satoru challenged harshly. He'd unbuckled her when her brain had stuttered over the question, she was safely in his lap now, her shoulder against the car seat, the other probably digging into Satoru's side as he draped himself over her.
"She wasn't like this bef-" he cut himself off in a frustrated growl, before taking a deep breath, letting his forehead hit the steering wheel.
He didn't need to finish though.
She wasn't like this before. It was obvious, to her at least. She literally was an entirely different person.
It still stung a bit, like she just couldn't quite measure up. Was she happy and cheerful, a joyous child to be around? Maybe she always offered a bit of easy affection, quick to warm up to strangers? With wide, innocent eyes, not shrouded in constant wariness, glancing around like she was expecting an attack at any moment?
She wasn't Midori. She was just herself. Just her.
No name really fits her anymore. To call herself her old one was just wrong. To call herself Midori was wrong too. She just was. Nameless.
Did the dead need a name, just because her stolen heart was still beating?
"She doesn't have to be who she was before. Midori doesn't know who she was before." Satoru said reproachfully.
"I won't trust someone who I don't know. I don't know the doctors, I don't know you, Ieiri-san checked me over before you came. I'm fine. What do they gain from lying to you about it?" She finally asked.
"I need someone who is outside of your… organization. We need an outside, unbiased perspective."
"I don't trust people who are," she made air quotes with her hands, rolling her eyes, "outside of my organization. They're kind and they take care of me, and they don't make me go through all this stupid awful stuff that I've had to go through since you guys stole me." Her tone was a bit too angry, but she might deserve a little righteous anger. Couldn't she be angry? This whole situation sucks.
He groaned then, a despairing noise. "You can't trust only them."
"Earn it then. Almost everyone outside of that school has proven themselves untrustworthy so far, or at least hasn't earned it. You haven't, the cops haven't, the Obas haven't quite yet either. I don't trust people anymore, so you're gonna have to prove me wrong if you want to get anywhere like this. You can't throw your weight around this time and make me do what you want, not with Satoru-nii backing me up, so you'll have to do this the old-fashioned way and make me want to listen to you."
To his stupid fucking credit, he listened. He turned his head after the first sentence, focusing his full attention on her silly rant, and his stupid expression was thoughtful. Stupid.
She huffed at the sight, turning to hide her face in Satoru's shoulder. She said her piece, they could talk it out. Covering her ears was just the icing on the cake, she felt like she was going to cry all the sudden, her face all hot yet cold at the same time.
She was being so stupid about this.
Was it that big of a deal? They'd touch her, she'd cry and shake and then it would be over and it would pass like it had never even happened. It would be like it never happened. If they listened and let her keep her shirt on, then her seal wouldn't even be uncovered.
Satoru's hand pet her hair, soothing.
"It's okay. We aren't mad at you for saying what you think. We'd both rather know what you think than have you stay quiet about it." He soothed, probably shooting Officer Nin a death glare.
"I don't like people. In general. They're so loud and they touch you and stare at you. If I had the choice, I would probably hang out by myself. You guys are so nice and welcoming, it's impossible not to love you all."
Satoru made a higher pitched sound, nearly a squeal, that made her blink. It was true. Had she not made her affection clear? She adored them all.
"If you won't allow them to examine you, would you at least walk me through what happened?" Officer Nin finally conceded.
"Not today please." God, not today. At least let her nap first.
"It's very important that we get as much information as possible. If we leave it too long, important information could be lost." He argued gently.
"Not today. Please."
"Just let it go. This isn't an argument that you can win."
Officer Nin banged his head on the steering wheel a few times, gently of course, because he couldn't set too bad of an example, before nodding.
Victory!
He huffed a little, but waved sharply for her to be buckled into her car seat. This time, she did so happily. Anything to get away from the doctor's office.
A narrow escape.
"If you can, I would like you to write down what you remember happening, if you aren't comfortable talking about it with others yet."
Deal. She fucking loved to write. She nodded without turning to look at him.
"Please include as much detail as you can, even if you don't think it matters much. Anything could help us make sure you never run into him again!"
Yeah yeah, she knew that. She wasn't an idiot.
She was, however, uncooperative. So, she'd be about as detailed as he would expect from a scared four-year old. She'd write about the butterfly she'd seen beforehand, or something silly.
He left the parking lot, probably heading either to the station or their temporary home. Hopefully the temporary home, she wanted to grill Satoru about her newly discovered enchanting ability.
She was nearly vibrating in her seat. She felt alive, weirdly so. Satoru was looking at her, an edge of relief in his expression. Indeed, she wasn't just not catatonic, but she was actually bursting with energy. Maybe he'd take her to climb Mount Fuji soon.
Maybe he'd let them run home.
"Can we walk back to the restaurant?" She asked, almost jittery.
"It's quite a ways away. I can't leave the car behind, and I couldn't in good conscience leave you two to walk alone." Officer Nin denied, keeping his eyes focused on the road and the stoplight they were waiting at.
Fine.
Satoru started poking her cheek as she stared out the window. She ignored him for a few moments, until he leaned in closer. Her cursed energy had the same idea she had, pooling subtly in her mouth. Satoru's eyes weren't quite as glowy, his Infinity seemed to be off.
She blew cold air right in his face, making him shriek with surprise. It was enough to make Officer Nin jump, and whirl his head around to glare their way. The light turned green, so Satoru pointed to it, and he twisted back around to face the road, the set of his shoulders much more tense and irritated.
Satoru licked his hand.
He licked his hand!
"No! Don't you dare!" She threatened, her body going cold as her cursed energy reacted to the potential threat, but it was too late-
Smack!
He didn't.
His hand was on her cheek, all wet with saliva, and germs and fucking icky, and on her face.
She shrieked in outrage, batting his hand away, and licked her own hand, swiping it across his face and then they were fighting- he was reloading, but she had extra ammunition, she called for Doomie with a quick jolt of cursed energy and then it was two against one, and Doomie was all slime. She threw (gently of course, she loved the little thing) Doomie in Satoru's face and he leaned away with another loud noise of disgust, slime was all over him, but then poor Doomie was in his hands-
And in her face, ugh, it was so slimy- she licked her hands again, trying to get anywhere she could reach, but he was so fucking fast, already he got her arm- God it was so unsanitary-
"That's ENOUGH!" Officer Nin shouted, not able to turn around, but able to glance back at them in the mirror, "There will be no fighting in this car, or I swear I will- I will- ugh!" He clearly couldn't think of a good enough threat. "I will take you both to the dentist first thing tomorrow!"
Oh shit.
They both went quiet, quickly settling themselves back into a neat position. Doomie squeaked on the floor, so she leaned down and pulled the poor, confused little slug into her lap. Officer Nin huffed, apparently satisfied by their quickly fixed behavior.
"Please don't fight like that here. And don't lick each other either!" Officer Nin said firmly, mostly cooled now that they'd stopped fighting.
"Okay…" She mumbled, looking down at Doomslug. The little thing chirped, leaning into her hands like she was asking for pets. She started petting the little slug, who settled contentedly in her lap. Satoru joined in, and Doomie was looking alarmingly puddly. She had to hold her up to keep her from dropping out of her lap entirely. Things went quiet after that, even though Satoru and her occasionally swiped at each other with bits of slime when the opportunity arose, it never got to the point of full on war again.
They pulled up to the restaurant and Officer Nin pulled into a parking space that was probably reserved for the apartment building, turning to look at them sternly.
"I don't want any more truancy from you two. I expect you to be on your best behavior. If you want to go and visit again, call me. If you want to explore, call me. If you need to go to the store, call me. Midori-chan has already been attacked once, I don't want either of you going off without someone knowing where you are. If I can't send an escort, at least I need to know where you two are." Officer Nin said, much more calmly than he had been before.
"We will," Satoru lied without blinking an eye. Officer Nin knew it too, because he sighed.
"I'm being serious. We need to know where you are whenever you leave. I'm not banning you from leaving, I'm just asking for communication."
Satoru rolled his eyes disrespectfully, "I know, I said yes, didn't I?"
She smacked him in the chest, and he didn't even blink, just glancing her way. "Be nice. He's trying to help us." Satoru mimed throwing up the moment Officer Nin's attention turned towards her. She smacked him again. He giggled though, clearly encouraged by her engaging with him. She should just ignore him next time.
"Please don't give me any more trouble." He pleaded before unlocking the doors. Satoru almost left her before realizing she was still buckled in. It was at an awkward angle, making it difficult for her to unbuckle herself without cursed energy to help her. She could, but she just didn't feel like it. Satoru unbuckled her anyway and she grabbed onto him like a clingy monkey, letting Doomie return to wherever it was that she waited to be summoned. He laughed a little but moved her to a more comfortable position. She promptly leaned her head on his shoulder, content to be so close to him. So warm.
He softened a little, holding her a bit more firmly. He was an annoying and gross teenage boy, but she loved him, nonetheless. Even if she'd probably have to defend herself from wet-willies now. She had a built-in slug friend, she could get her revenge if he ever got bold enough to mess with her like that. She could bully him right back.
She got the feeling that once she got in a better place mentally, she'd be fighting for her life as Satoru decided it was safe to mess with her again. For now, he was afraid of pushing her too hard. If he went too far, she'd just sic Yaga or Suguru on him once that happened.
"Thank you for driving us! Please keep us updated on Todo-kun, I wanna see him again!" She called when Officer Nin started to back out of the parking space.
The perfect distraction. A mistake.
Satoru licked her cheek.
She shrieked in outrage, shoving his face away, but the damage was done.
The car stopped with a jerk.
The car pulled forward a bit.
Satoru bolted for the door, giggling like a loon, and she made a noise of pure rage again. He was still laughing as he bolted up the steps, into the room where the Obas were hanging out. Both women looked up as they entered, and she waved her hands at them.
"He licked me! Satoru-nii-chan licked me!" She tattled immediately, and Oba-chan's arms went to her hips sternly. Satoru glared at her, offended, and let her down so she could scamper away.
"You licked her?" She challenged, trying for stern, but there was a slight amused grin on her face. Satoru shook his head, an innocent look on his face.
"He did! He's lying!"
"You need to prove it if you want justice to be served." Oba-san said from her chair, not looking up from her… painting? Was she painting? She had a paintbrush in her hand, a… a pallet of paint? She didn't remember the word, placed on the arm of the rocking chair she was in. It seemed risky, but who was she to judge?
"My cheek is still wet!" She offered, wiping the wetness away and showing Oba-chan. She nodded sagely, then pointed at Satoru, accusing.
"Your defense?" She challenged, authoritative.
"It's… water." Satoru defended lamely.
"I rule in Midori-chan's favor. Satoru, you're helping with dishes tonight." Oba-san ordered, continuing to paint.
She cheered, offering Oba-chan a high-five, who took the opportunity a bit uncertainly, but also with visible excitement.
"Did you kids eat, or should we get you some lunch?" Oba-chan offered brightly, almost bouncing on her feet. Something had made her excited, she was staring at her hand admiringly for some reason.
"We both had lunch already." Satoru answered, surly. His arms were crossed, clearly displeased. Too bad, so sad. Shouldn't have fucking licked her then if he didn't like the consequences.
"Good." Oba-chan clapped her hands, making her jump, and the woman froze. Satoru moved closer quickly, her stalwart, but gross guardian, as always. "We can… play a board game? How's that sound? And you two can meet Molly a bit better!"
Right… Molly. They'd seen her around a few times, but not really…met.
"Okay." She agreed blasély. Whatever.
Oba-chan hurried to fetch the board game and Molly, so she wrapped her arm around Satoru's leg and waited. Without anything else to focus on, she just stared blankly at Oba-san as she continued to paint. The woman paused a few times, looking her way, but didn't stop her from staring at all.
She came back within a few minutes, moving briskly like she was expecting her to bolt back to her room if she wasn't fast enough. Which- fair. They hadn't exactly been social over the past couple days.
Oba-chan set up the board quickly. It looked like… Monopoly. Damn, she was hoping for a long interaction, wasn't she? This was gonna take a long while. Ruthless too.
Molly walked in slowly, like she was walking into a room with live explosives. She'd never really examined the girl all that much, just caught glimpses.
She looked… very similar ethnically to Oba-san. Mostly just similar features as opposed to actual relations. A distant relative or a fluke of chance, or even just the people of the foster system deciding that the Russian kid should go to the Russian foster parent. Was that racist or just being pragmatic? It was possible that they assumed that a shared language, if they both spoke Russian of course, that was definitely a big assumption, would make things easier for the family.
Her dark blonde hair was a bob cut length, but she had some cute looking hair clips too. Very dark and emo looking. She'd likely get along with Nanami if they ever got the chance to meet. Her dark clothing also concurred, she looked quite emo in general. She was absolutely gorgeous too.
Molly sat down carefully at the coffee table where Oba-chan had begun to set up the game.
"Youngest player gets to go first!" Oba-chan announced, clapping her hands very gently, so as not to startle her. Oba-san didn't budge from her chair, so apparently she didn't feel like playing. Fair, it was a huge commitment.
She picked a random token, a train and rolled.
3. Lucky. She bought the brown property and handed the dice to the person to her left, Molly, so she could start organizing her money. Hopefully, it'd be a quicker game, she was kinda tired, but also eager to try out her magic too.
Oba-chan won.
Horribly.
Satoru fell for her puppy-dog eyes and made a bad trade, then she proceeded to buy three houses a piece with all her saved up money, bankrupt Molly on the very next turn thanks to some risky buying, and take all of her property.
It was basically game over by then, she had two monopolies to her and Satoru's 1 total. And her monopoly was the wonderful, amazing… two brown properties. Wow.
She made some easy trades with Satoru, got him a nice monopoly, but it wasn't enough. The rent whenever Satoru or Oba-chan landed on it wasn't even half of what she needed when she landed on Oba-chan's game-ending properties. Satoru bled out slowly over an agonizing half-an-hour until he was finally bankrupted, fighting to his last breath. The moment he was forced to sell a hotel for his payment, the game was over. Oba-chan didn't break a sweat over it.
By then, maybe two hours later, she was flagging. Her eyes had slid shut sometime around when Satoru was mortgaging a blue property, refusing to trade it to a money hungry Oba-chan, only opening again when Satoru shook her a little, after the game was over.
"Want to go to bed? I know you had a rough day, it's okay if you go to bed early." Satoru offered, apparently not feeling like being an annoyance right now. She nodded slowly. Training could wait until tomorrow.
"Goodnight then, Midori-chan." Oba-chan said, far too cheerfully for as tired as she was feeling right now.
"Goodnight, Oba-chan, Oba-san, Molly-san." She agreed, and Satoru picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, readjusting her quickly like he'd just realized that he'd been a touch too rough, and headed upstairs.
Safety. Finally.
Nishinoya shot up from where he'd been laying on the floor, staring boredly at the ceiling, and hurried over, clearly delighted.
She wasted no time rolling into bed, not even bothering to do much more than taking her coat and shoes off. Nishinoya immediately moved to an optimal hug position and she just about pounced on him.
Wonderful. Especially when Satoru followed closely behind her, kicking his shoes off as well and climbing into bed to lean back against the headboard. He found his DS, plugged in and fully charged and grabbed it, settling back, clearly prepared to be used as a pillow for the next few, or many, hours. She might honestly just sleep through the night and wake up early in the morning.
She ended up pressed against his side, her head on his chest and his arm looped around her shoulders. Nishinoya was kinda squished, but clearly content to be where he was, aggressively hugged to her chest.
She was safe. Officer Nin would be back tomorrow, pressing for more details, but for now she was safe.
She fell asleep again in seconds.
If she had any dreams, the only memory she had left was that of Gojo's voice, his adult one.
"When you die, you'll be alone."
Thanks, her unconscious mind. So reassuring.