She woke up ridiculously early in the morning. Like- it wasn't even sunrise quite yet early. She tapped Satoru on the shoulder to let him know she was up and about, giving him the all clear to take a long-ass nap that he refused to show that he desperately needed. He'd been up all-night playing video games like a teena- like his age. Because he was a teenager.
He conked out in fucking seconds. Military grade sleeping abilities.
So, she lied there for quite a long time and plotted. Her cursed energy was surprisingly quiet. It wasn't entirely refilled from yesterday, which was… unusual. It was refilling, but it was definitely slow. Whatever she'd done- severing? That sounded a bit violent, but it was the best word she could think of. It wasn't hers anymore, it was just energy. Maybe it bore echoes, but she had the feeling that she couldn't reabsorb it like she could if she just sent her energy outside her body.
It seemed like severing was different than just normal usage, in terms of using refilling at minimum. She'd used a bunch of cursed energy before and it definitely hadn't taken this long. Something to note if she tried again, not to use too much at once, lest she give herself very little to work with in case of emergency. She'd used about fifteen percent of her total cursed energy, and right now she'd only really regenerated just over two percent of it. She'd limit herself to fifteen as well next time she tried to enchant something. It'd leave her a decent chunk left to use while it regenerated again.
By the time Satoru woke up, she'd regenerated maybe three and a half percent total, after a solid five hours. She was bored as fuck for most of it too, using her cursed energy to entertain herself after about three hours of playing her game on her DS.
Making snowflakes was great fun, especially when she learned to make it follow a guide, pinching her fingers together in a line that connected two objects, making it spread like a spiderweb between the two as she wove. Delicate, and it melted very quickly when she withdrew her cursed energy, but beautiful all the same. She couldn't get the same snowflake design twice either, even when she put effort into trying. Nishinoya offered himself as a test subject, lacking the nerves to feel cold, he took pride in helping her make new and interesting shapes.
It was well past dawn when Satoru began to stir, and she let him come to naturally, blinking awake with visible confusion. It took several minutes for his foggy brain to sharpen, and when he did, he looked at her first thing. He still had makeup on. It was a silly thing to notice, but she did just then.
"Everything good?" He checked, just to make sure. She nodded.
His eyes slipped shut again, a sigh of relief.
She waited.
Silence.
Had he fallen back asleep?
"O-nii-san?"
He jolted upright like a startled cat, making her jump reflexively backwards as well.
Right off the bed.
Nishinoya, the angel, was quick as the devil, grabbing her shirt and slowing her backwards fall off the bed. She definitely could've hit the ground harder than she did, as much as the impact left her slightly winded. He landed on her, unable to keep his own balance after doing his best to slow her fall.
Satoru peered over the edge of the bed, bewildered. His eyes were glowing, meaning he got quite a good view of her on the floor apparently. Stupid six eyes, stupid jumpiness.
"Having fun down there?" Satoru asked, apparently deciding that amusement was the proper response to this, a damn smirk on his infuriating face. First thing in the morning and he thinks teasing her about her exaggerated startle response was the best plan?
"Shut up." She hissed, and climbed to her feet, brushing her clothes off. God, she was still icky from yesterday's 'fun'. She needed a shower and a new change of clothes. And she needed Satoru to come with her and guard the door, so she didn't spend the whole time staring through the shower curtains looking for suspicious shadows.
"I need to get cleaned up. We need to wash the sheets and stuff too, we're all dirty."
"You're all dirty," he corrected with a grin, "I'm just as clean as always!"
Yeah, she didn't think using Infinity to keep the dust and dirt off him really counted. Not only was he a gross boy, he was a stinky one too it appeared.
"Stinky!" She accused, pointing at him in a way that was probably quite rude. She didn't care. "You're gonna be stinky!"
"I'm stinky? You're the one who's stinky!" Satoru teased with a grin.
Ugh. This wasn't the argument that she could win it seemed like. He was enjoying this too much to quit.
"Let's just get ready for the day." She said with a huff, rolling her eyes just to communicate how ridiculous he was being.
He almost dragged her out of the room, she had to hold tightly onto Nishinoya to keep them from being separated. Satoru really didn't appreciate the wonders of Nishinoya's presence, did he?
They showered quickly, and Satoru went first while she held her post at the door, clutching Nishinoya painfully tight. It went by peacefully of course, and he was taking the towel and politely turning around to allow her to undress in safety. She appreciated it. By the time she staggered out of the shower, her skin reddened from the hot water, he was already dried and dressed, and ready with a hairbrush for once.
She let him help her brush it, because it was a bit of a rat's nest now, thanks to her romp through the woods and going to sleep without brushing. Honestly, she needed to take care of herself better. Her stomach was howling from skipping dinner and she was shivering slightly, just from her cursed energy's anxiety. She was a wreck!
Satoru brushed through her hair with ease as always, using his cheating ways somehow.
Finally, they were ready for their day.
Nishinoya was still tightly held in her arms when Satoru finished brushing her hair, and promptly snatched her up into the air and bolted down the stairs. They made it to the kitchen just in time for Onigiri to be pulled from a frying pan with a pair of tongs, all golden and crispy edged. He must've seen it through the floors.
The Obas looked surprised at their sudden appearance but recovered quickly. Oba-chan started making plates, Oba-san was prepping some sort of side dish, Molly was on her phone at the table, things were startlingly domestic, especially when Oba-san started lecturing Molly about not helping.
She should probably go help too.
She pulled at Satoru's hands, a signal for him to put her down, and he promptly dropped her in much the same way as one would a cat. She hit the floor with a disgruntled noise and a glare before climbing to her feet, brushing herself off just to try and make him feel worse. He mouthed a silent apology before stepping away to start helping too.
Rather than carry him with her and risk getting him dirty, she set Nishinoya up on a chair neatly, like the doll would be eating breakfast alongside them.
She washed her hands for thirty seconds, longer than the average recommended time on account of her being a little baby and thus much closer to the dirt and grime of the floor. Then, she found a chair and shoved it over to the counter to give herself some additional height. One more thirty-second wash, and she was ready to help.
Annnd… they all ignored her. Fair, no one really wanted a four-year-old near hot oil, or anything, but they could at least try to humor her or something?
"Is there any way I can help?" She prompted after a short pause.
"Sure! You can…" Oba-chan trailed off, clearly searching for a simple task, "you can get some… uhh, some soy sauce for us! For dipping!" Oba-chan smiled triumphantly, clearly proud of herself for finding something simple for her to do.
Soy sauce. Joy. She was gonna be so useful. She could see the applause that she would be showered with.
Ugh. She was irritable already. It wasn't that bad, but still likely to render her unpleasant to deal with. However, counterpoint- onigiri. What reason did she have to be irritable?
Onigiri.
She was still standing on the chair.
Soy sauce.
That was probably… refrigerated, right? It seemed like something that should be refrigerated after opening, right?
Yeah, she didn't know what the bottle of soy sauce looked like. Was it in a slim little sauce bottle or something bigger?
There was a lot of stuff in the fridge, but she didn't see any that screamed 'I'm soy sauce' to her. How about…
Yeah, she's got nothing. She ducked lower, trying to catch Satoru's eyes. He didn't glance up from the knife that Oba-san had handed him, but did gesture with his foot towards… a gallon jug? A suspiciously dark jug, about half-full.
They had a gallon jug of soy sauce?
She walked over carefully, sizing the jug up. It wasn't too heavy looking, not with cursed energy, but still.
It was a restaurant after all, she supposed. It was just weird. They really used that much soy sauce? The sodium. Should she brush up on her CPR skills? What if something happened-
Not gonna worry about that right now. It was too early for that.
She hefted the jug up and walked it awkwardly to the table. It helped when her cursed rushed to her aid, but the stupid jug was huge. It just didn't sit in her arms well.
"Thank you!" Oba-chan praised with a grin.
Then, Oba-chan walked over to the fridge, found a small, wonderfully portable bottle of soy sauce, and set that on the table.
Her accusing glare Satoru's way made him shrug a little helplessly, knife still clutched tightly in his hand. She asked for help finding soy sauce, and he'd found it. Just- the big one. Probably whatever he had spotted first.
It probably used an insane amount of brain power to see that much, didn't it? She guessed she wouldn't blame him too much. He did find the soy sauce after all.
She slumped across the chair with a groan. Ugh.
"This one's just the brand that your Oba-san likes, Midori-chan!" Oba-chan assured her, holding up the small bottle. "I like that one that you brought over! Thank you for your help. I'm sure that Molly could show you something cool on that contraption of hers in the meanwhile. Breakfast will be ready soon!"
Great. She was being pushed neatly aside.
She sighed.
Couldn't fault them for that. She hauled herself up into the chair and laid across it on her side, curled up into a ball so that no part of her was hanging off of it. Not the most comfortable position, but she felt suitably pathetic and depressed looking.
Of course, Satoru came over then, pulling a seat up next to her and laying down too, sprawling across both chairs, his head resting on her side. He met her eyes with a sly sort of grin, smug.
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
Smug… why?
"Having fun?" He asked.
She shrugged. Pouting over feeling useless wasn't much fun at all.
"You know…" He let the words hang, hoping to catch her interest, but she didn't bite. "They were talking about going on a trip. Apparently Saturday is restock day. They're going to the warehouse, but they like to drop Molly off…" He let the words hang again, and despite herself, she looked his way, her attention piqued. Satoru smiled, all smug yet again, and her expression flattened.
"To the mall." He finished smugly.
Wow. What a great build up about going to a borin-
Wait.
It was currently the mid-2000s.
Malls were cool.
She could go to the mall on a Saturday. A good one, not a lame half-closed down one that was barely hanging on.
"Okay." She agreed. He seemed a bit put out by her lack of enthusiasm, but he patted her head anyway. "Could we go to the movies or something too?"
He perked back up again, nodding eagerly. "Yeah! There should be some cool arcades and stuff too, like that one we went to before! And I bet we could find you some new clothes and some stuff for your room!"
That sounded like a lot more shopping than she'd realized she was signing up for. Maybe it wasn't too late to back out and just sleep the day away. Satoru was visibly excited though, still verbally planning their little trip. Maybe if he carried her around, she could conk out for a little bit.
Was she tired because she was tired or was she tired because she was feeling a bit depressed? Ugh.
She just wanted to go back home.
Satoru held out a fried onigiri.
Life was great.
She sat up in a flash, forcing Satoru up too, and snatched The Onigiri from his hands. Someone giggled, but she took a bite anyway.
Bonito flakes.
Yes!
If she ever refused a bonito flake filled onigiri, assume that she had been compromised somehow. Mind controlled, undergoing some severe mental crisis, or just plain under duress somehow.
So yummy.
Oba-chan had added three more to her plate in no time and she had no complaints. She was ravenous. She didn't even touch the blasted soy sauce, the fried onigiri was perfect just as it was.
She didn't scarf it down like she could have, she savored each bite. At some point Satoru had plopped Nishinoya down in her lap, and bolted up the stairs to grab something she didn't care about in the slightest at the moment. All she cared for was The Onigiri.
Finally, when she'd finished her third onigiri, she got up and washed her hands. The fourth onigiri wouldn't be hot, but she did wrap it up in a napkin she found. Hopefully, Satoru would let her get her backpack and she could tuck it safely in her pocket for later. Even soggy and cold onigiri were worth eating.
Satoru, the mind reader, brought not only her backpack, but her winter coat too.
Hm…
That wasn't the same coat as yesterday. It wasn't a mess for one thing, and in general was a lot fluffier. It looked cozy as fuck. She wanted to cuddle into it immediately, but…
That meant he had gotten her two coats.
Ugh. She was going to be in debt for the rest of her life, not that he would let her pay it back to him.
"I'm allowed to spoil my little sister, alright?" Satoru defended, wilting slightly under her disapproving stare.
"It just sucks that I can't really do anything back, I guess." She relented, climbing down from her chair. She made sure to grab Nishinoya too, just to make sure he didn't get left behind this time. Satoru set her backpack down, and he'd unloaded the stuff that had been in it to give her room for new items. She stuffed her wrapped up onigiri inside a small pocket, hopefully it wouldn't get crushed and make a mess all over. No way was she letting it go to waste, even if she was risking a huge mess.
It took only a little debate to decide whether or not she wanted to pack Nishinoya in her backpack or just carry him with her, but eventually she settled on carrying him. More space in her backpack, and less time it would take for Nishinoya to help her if needed.
Satoru plucked her up by her hood and tucked her under his arm, a bit precariously considering she also had Nishinoya in her arms. Considering he could make her more or less weightless, it wasn't as risky as it felt. He lugged her out to the car that the Obas were loading up.
She ended up buckled in the Oba's terrible car seat. She'd nearly erased it from her memory, apparently. Still, she had Nishinoya with her, so it was less terrible than it could've been. Especially when Satoru climbed into the middle seat, and she could appropriate one of his hands for some hugging. Molly climbed into the car seat, and next thing she knew, Gojo was chatting with her.
Hmm…
This girl was totally a lesbian. Completely uninterested in Gojo's charms, lingering a tad too long on some particularly stunning girls who crossed the road ahead of the car as it stopped at a stoplight.
Good to know.
Nishinoya was her lifeline for the trip, because the damn strap was somehow too damn tight yet again and it was setting off so many alarm bells in her head that she was a nervous wreck by the time they pulled into the mall that they were being dropped off at. Satoru had noticed, but by the time his Infinity wrapped around her and eliminated the sensation, she was already moderately freaking out.
Restraints apparently weren't acceptable either. Somehow, closed spaces that she squeezed herself into were good though? She gave up on trying to understand what freaked her out and what didn't.
Was that why she hated car seats so much?
Wow.
The things you learned about yourself on random days.
Satoru unbuckled her quickly, giving the straps a tug to try and loosen them. It looked like they might have actually tightened in the attempt. Evil. Maybe they could call Officer Nin before they left again. He scooped her up, holding her with ease in a position that let her look around easily.
She appreciated it.
The mall was fucking huge. The map was huge, the stores were huge, holy shit they had little car shaped stroller/cart thingies that Satoru made a beeline for.
No.
The germs!
Her struggles were halted by Satoru's hand on her chin, forcibly making her look at a sign that claimed the carts were sanitized.
Acceptable.
The cart was all sorts of weird to be in, but it had a little steering wheel that didn't work, so that was a… plus? She didn't have to walk and could set Nishinoya up on the seat next to her. It worked well enough, and she was safe from the horrific crowd of people. Satoru had no qualms about using the cart to his advantage too, pushing right through the crowd. The hard plastic was uncomfortable though, and she took her coat off after a moment's deliberation. She laid it over the seat as a cushion.
"Comfortable down there?" Satoru asked, leaning over the cart handles to crane down at her as they made it to the first store that Molly wanted to go to. It was some clothing store that neither of them had much interest in, so they were content to wait outside.
"It's cool, I guess. I prefer being carried by you though." She admitted. It was nice, being so close to him. She appreciated the ability to basically cuddle the whole time she was being carried, more or less. The feeling of safety really helped too.
"Do you not want the cart?" He offered, fully ready to get rid of it, but she shook her head. It was nice to have her own little space too. Besides, this meant that Satoru could keep his hands free of any distractions. Always a good thing.
Molly took about half an hour, more than enough for her to drift off into a daydream so full of homesick wishful thinking the real world was left feeling dull. She just missed home.
When would this world end up being home?
This trip wasn't yet as fun as she'd been hoping.
Her cursed energy was about five percent healed by now, which really meant that her mood was probably just gonna go downhill as it continued, assuming that that was what had made everything feel better.
"My turn to pick a store next!" Satoru crowed, with a grin that was just too wide, never reaching his eyes.
Satoru led them quickly through the mall, fighting his way through the crowd to get to some store. She just leaned into Nishinoya, feeling…something. Just-
She wanted to cry for no fucking reason.
It seemed like the moment she felt happy, or at least content, everything got worse again. She was sick of feeling so bad.
Satoru snatched her out of the car shaped cart, Nishinoya getting pulled along by only her refusal to release her hold on him.
Oh yeah.
This was worlds better already. She burrowed closer desperately, just to chase the sickening feeling of missing home away. He laughed a little, amused, but his eyes looked sad too. She must be such a depressing little sister to have, wasn't she?
She honestly didn't even pay attention to what store they were in until some cardboard cutout advertisement caught her eye.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
Will to live and exist restored.
She wormed her way out of Satoru's hold and rushed over to read it eagerly. Satoru followed of course, breaking out into a grin as he realized what she was looking at.
"You like Pokémon, don't you?" He asked, like he was just remembering it. She nodded quickly.
September 28th.
It was September, wasn't it?
"When's this coming out?" She asked quickly, pointing to make sure she wouldn't be understood.
"Less than two weeks away. It's the sixteenth right now. Want me to pre-order it for you? That means that we won't have to fight the crowds for it on release day." Satoru explained, and GOD, she could imagine the crowds. Was Pokémon as popular now as it was in the future? If it was half as popular, she'd totally get it.
She nodded quickly. She'd just owe him later.
Satoru looked absolutely delighted for some reason, his smaller smile worlds more real than the forced one she'd seen earlier. Molly was observing it too, with the casual detachment of a teenager who wouldn't dare show that she actually enjoyed something.
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to a different section of the game store, and she spotted it.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team.
She didn't even have to put her best puppy dog eyes on, Satoru snatched the last box with the speed of a striking snake, like someone was going to try and get to it first-
Was that Pokémon Ranger below it?
It was!
Admittedly, she'd never played it before, but she had certainly heard of it! It sounded like her kinda game, she just… had grown out of her DS by the time she'd heard of it. Moved on to the Switch, her laptop, and just never really went back.
Damn.
Funny how it just took one thought to bring her mood back down. She shook herself a little and grabbed the box, leaning over it to read the back. Satoru grabbed a different one, adding it to the small pile that was growing quickly in his arms. She saw a box of Mario Kart, so clearly he was hunting for some multiplayer games too. Was that a Digimon game too?
Ah!
Rune Factory!
She'd first started playing that particular series at game five. Of course, it was quite hated, or at least hated by a loud majority. Much like her love of Final Fantasy XV, which she had once googled how it stood when ranked among all Final Fantasy games. She was left disappointed. Was it wrong to love a game that didn't quite fit in with all the rest? Even her Dad had disliked it.
Satoru was snatching every game she looked at for more than five seconds with absolute delight in his face, so she stopped to stare at the ceiling for a bit as she processed everything. He prodded her a little, eager to find more things that she might like, but she was resolute.
She didn't see much more that was so familiar that it ached somewhere in her heart to look at, so she went over to Satoru instead, hooking her arm around his leg. She didn't look up, just leaned into him.
"That's all?" He asked, disappointed. She looked up at him, letting her expression flatten.
"That's like, ten games. That's ridiculous, actually. Put four back please." She said firmly, and Satoru almost bolted over to the checkout to pay before she started forcibly snatching boxes from him to put back.
A smile tugged at her lips, but she forced her expression to remain steady.
Plan: Make Satoru Stop Buying Things For Her- successful.
She followed him out of the store so closely that she literally never left his shadow. She liked shopping, but damn was it stressful when she was half-expecting Kenjaku-earthbending style to reach out and drag her underground like fucking Kakashi or something. She felt better when she wasn't touching the ground.
They kept the car(t) for some ungodly reason, but Satoru picked her up and carried her around the same way he had before, letting her look around easily. She thinks Satoru might be getting attached to the little thing. He might just give in and buy it.
"Did you want a racecar bed when you were a kid?" the words slipped out before she could stop it, and his back straightened abruptly. Struck a nerve.
"Nah," Satoru said, rueful in a way that felt almost performative, "I was a spoiled brat! I wanted the biggest mattress at the store!" He laughed, and Molly did too, like they believed it.
Nothing like the thought of a little boy whose superpower was being completely untouchable, sleeping alone in a bed that was far, far too big. God, no wonder he craved a family so much he practically adopted all of his students.
"Where did you want to go, Midori-chan?" Molly asked, her tone gentle.
She shrugged. She hadn't bothered to read the map. "I guess… is there a…" She trailed off. She literally was planning to just follow them around, there wasn't anything she was particularly excited about besides just- Mall. Mid-2000s mall. Japanese mid-2000s mall. "Maybe a bookstore I guess? Or… maybe if there's a shop for trading cards? I guess I might need some clothes, but that'd just ruin everything."
Satoru blinked, confused. "How would it ruin everything?" He asked coaxingly.
Hm.
He was looking beyond her, for some reason, instead of that heavy stare he always had as he gazed directly into her soul whenever he talked to her. She was adjusting to it, but it still could get uncomfortable sometimes, especially when he focused on her for too long. When she turned to look, she saw nothing but the crowd, and when she turned around to face him, he was focused back on her for a few moments before looking away again.
Sus…
She eyed him warily for a moment before deigning to answer. What was he up to? "A dentist trip would probably be easier than clothes shopping right now, honestly. It'd just make all of us frustrated in the end, especially if you want me to get something nicer than cheap clothes."
"That bad, huh?" He empathized blithely. He didn't seem to be taking the warning too seriously.
He still wasn't looking at her.
Something was up.
Hands on her hips sternly, as best she could in her position, she said, "You're being weird. What're you doing?"
He blinked his angelic eyes at her innocently before looking away again, and her expression hardened. He knew he was being weird too. "What are you doing?" She repeated sternly. Molly giggled somewhere behind her, but she focused on her brother.
"I'm taking my weird little sister to the mall." He answered, sidestepping neatly. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
Hm.
Maybe it was time to read into this a little.
Avoiding eye contact but not appearing in any way stressed about the situation or any people around them.
Conclusion: no current threats.
So why avoid eye contact?
No way was he suddenly uncomfortable with it. As far as she was aware, there wasn't anything different happening. So why the sudden change?
"Satoru-nii-san~" She drawled out, singsong, "Why aren't you looking at me like you normally do?"
"You don't like it, right?"
Holy shit. This was a huge leap in his social skills if he was able to understand that now… A suspiciously large leap in social skills.
Someone had noticed and pointed it out.
Molly? She hadn't spent much time with the teen, but perhaps she was simply the perceptive type?
She put her hand on Satoru's cheek, making his eyes flick over to meet hers, and leaned in, locking eyes with him. "Who told you."
He made an exaggerated gasp of offense, nose in the air. "Who said someone told me? Maybe I'm just a good big brother who knows his little sister?"
Yeah, someone definitely told him. The question was who?
"You're a fantastic older brother," She agreed easily, "but I know you didn't notice that on your own. Someone pointed it out to you. Who?"
"Suguru." Satoru lied, like a lying liar.
"Okay Ody," She said sarcastically, and he blinked, clearly confused, "Yeah, he totally noticed and pointed it out, because he's spent so much time with me lately." She crossed her arms, shooting him a deadpan look. He wasn't nearly as good of a liar as Odysseus was, but the point remained.
"Okay…" He trailed off, hunting for an insult along the same vein as hers, but lacking all context, "Suki. Suguru is fantastic, and he totally noticed. He just thought I should know but hadn't gotten the chance to tell me yet."
Hmph.
That boy hadn't been able to see Satoru pining over him, probably since they met, until he literally confessed.
"Was it Yu-nii?" She asked. His face said no.
"Nanami-san?"
His expression turned judgmental. Yeah, she didn't really think so, but it got a reaction out of him at least.
Rather than face her interrogation much longer, Satoru forged onwards towards the nearest store map for her to check out the layout, leaving her questions unanswered. She'd just have to get him later.
There were LOTS of bookstores, so she just picked whatever one seemed to be the closest. It wasn't the biggest one, but honestly there weren't many books that she wanted that she knew was actually out yet…
What were some kids' books that she used to like that could use a reread? The Ranger's Apprentice books, The Seekers, the Warrior Cats books, that book about wolves that she couldn't immediately recall the name of but took place in the same universe as the Guardians of Ga'hoole books… the main character's name was Faolan or something similar. She'd been obsessed as a kid.
But that was also a lot of books that she couldn't currently pay for. Maybe…
"Satoru-nii, is there any money on the floor?"
He blinked at her very slowly. "You want me to use my one-of-a-kind super amazing eyes… to find money on the ground."
She nodded seriously. "It would really make me feel better about getting some book."
"Kid, I could buy this whole store five times over. Get your books." Satoru answered bluntly. Molly gave him an odd look, eyeing him up and down. In his casual clothing, he really didn't look rich. Besides that, what rich kid would be in foster care? Satoru needed to be careful about what he said, he didn't need to be more suspicious.
Still, despite his protests, Satoru's eyes were searching as he dragged her towards the store that she had chosen. Would they even have English books? She'd even accept the same books but translated into Japanese too. It wouldn't be quite as familiar, like running it through google translate, but it would be something/
Familiarity was a rare commodity these days.
In the distance between their starting location and the bookstore, they hunted for money. She didn't know the amounts yet just by the bill, and soon her hands were too full to even try to read them. Molly was frowning at them, clearly bewildered, but Satoru paid her no mind.
At about five thousand yen, she started to get suspicious. Occasionally, Satoru would get a bit too far ahead, releasing her hand to hurry to fetch something, and then turn to hand her a bill. His hand was never visible, but the bills always looked far newer than they likely had much of a right to, considering they were on the floor, in the middle of a crowded shopping mall.
As he nonchalantly handed her a whole five-thousand-yen bill, her suspicions were more or less confirmed. He was planting the bills, acting like he'd just found them.
The turkey.
She'd let this slide temporarily and find some way to slip the money back to him. Just to try and their attempt at secrecy out, she gave Molly a long-suffering look as Satoru stuffed a few coins in her overflowing hands. So stupid. Molly's expression cleared, and she also rolled her eyes in commiseration.
So, by the time they hit the bookstore, she was holding a solid twenty thousand yen in various bills. More than enough for her books, most likely.
There were absolutely NO English books around in this store. She had glanced around doubtfully from the get-go, and really all that she could see were… textbooks. Ugh. She had like sixteen years before she needed to look forward to buying those again. She gave Satoru a pleading look, begging him to take her away from this god-awful store, but he was looking at some new physics textbook with a doubtful expression. Probably judging the incorrect answer he could see within, or something stupidly overpowered like that.
Ooo.
DSM-4!
Okay, this store was a little bit interesting. Too bad she did not have enough to afford that type of book, not in this store. Satoru was too busy studying the book, God, he was flipping through it now. The damn nerd.
The thought made her giggle softly. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound, but Satoru still glanced her way, suspicious.
She blinked at him innocently, because he wouldn't get her little mental joke at all. MHA didn't even exist yet here, he'd never understand. He set the book back and walked over, clearly curious.
"Future joke. You'll get it later. It isn't really even funny to anyone but me either though." She explained lightly, keeping her voice soft.
Satoru nodded after a moment's contemplation, accepting the answer, before taking her hand. He had to bend down a little bit just to reach. He always did, actually, but it seemed more glaring right now for some reason. Something had her on edge.
Something.
She took a careful step closer, just for the safety of it.
"Can we grab Nishinoya?" She asked slowly, reaching out to clutch his pant leg, near his hip. She felt exposed, her cursed energy surging. Without seeing anything, something was pinging in her head, something wrong that she couldn't quite tell.
Molly shifted closer too, so something was clearly happening.
A man was walking by.
Maybe a man.
No.
In their wake, a breeze blew past, something so cold it hurt like she'd never felt before.
She looked down.
She didn't know why. She just did. Everyone else was looking down too. It just felt like something that she needed to do. Her breath frosted in the air in front of her.
But she knew without looking that Satoru was standing tall.
He shouldn't be.
She held his pant leg tighter, like she could pull him down.
Infinity hit her like a truck, and suddenly she could breathe again. She looked up, finding nothing.
"A curse." Satoru whispered in her ear, kneeling down to keep his head upright, unbowed "Just an application of its cursed energy. Grade one, maybe, if that." Satoru grinned, vicious. "Dead soon."
She let him pick her up and brace her on his hip, his one arm able to hold her securely with ease. It let her glance around more easily, hunting for a sign besides its sheer aura.
There.
It was vaguely humanoid, but all defining features were hidden underneath fabrics and cloths, blowing on a nonexistent wind.
All in all, totally a dementor.
Somehow, that association eliminated the last bit of fear she had. No way was she gonna be afraid of some creation of that lady.
Next to her, Satoru made a curious noise, eyeing the thing. "Is that…"
She nodded.
"Weird. Guess that's why it's a grade one, not a special grade? People kinda know it's not real, even if it's scary?"
Satoru made a considering noise and started to push through the crowd to approach it.
"It isn't like, a dimensional leak or something, right?" She asked, a sudden pang of anxiety hitting her hard. Satoru just shrugged.
"Do you know any other creatures that have crossed dimensions like this?" He challenged lightheartedly.
Oh dear.
"Nope." She said, totally chill. Literally, her cursed energy had dropped her body temperature like a rock hurled from a skyscraper. She didn't panic, not at all!
"Probably from how popular the series was then. It's not too strong either." Satoru concluded, continuing to approach.
Totally.
Definitely.
What if it wasn't? She'd been from a different world after all. What if the dimensional barriers were falling apart or something? What if more and more beings started falling through? Had a hole been left thanks to her? How'd she even get here in the first place?
"You need to feed that to Geto-san." She said quickly as Satoru eyed the thing, probably hunting for an opening to kill it without hurting the crowd that laid so thickly around them. It was clearly hunting, floating or striding, she couldn't see its feet to tell, though, it's head swinging back and forth. Who knew what defining feature it was searching for, and she definitely didn't want to wait for it to strike to see. The crowd parted before it, mostly subconsciously it seemed.
Satoru slipped through the crowd into the gap between the curse and the crowd, and its head snapped his way, a scratchy hiss leaving its throat.
"If you go low and angle it up right, and charge it carefully, you might be able to avoid hitting the roof." She offered as the dementor thingy swung for Satoru, hitting Infinity and stopping instantly. The cloak thing whipped in increasing agitation, a few strands striking people, making them recoil. The crowd was murmuring with increasing agitation, a few complaints about the temperature, while those who were struck rubbed at their starkly whitened skin, undoubtedly frostbitten by the mere contact.
Definitely time to destroy it.
Satoru thought so too, leaning down some to measure the angle even as the dementor whaled on his Infinity, going for him, then her too.
"Maybe get Geto-san? He needs to eat this thing, I really want to study it!" and figure out where the hell it came from, she didn't say.
"Maybe…" Satoru agreed, only half-listening. He dropped to one knee, and the dementor loomed over him.
It tried to pull back just a moment too late, and the smallest Red that she'd ever seen carved a hole right through its chest.
Satoru grabbed its cloak and all three of them vanished, reappearing at… a room. Presumably Jujutsu Highschool or something.
"Suguru~" Satoru shouted, singsong, a grin on his face, "I got something for you~"
The door slammed open, and Suguru leaned his head through, looking irritated at the sight of Satoru and the curse. "Satoru…" He practically crooned in that loving way of his, before his voice hardened, "why would you bring a cursed spirit, a live, unchained one, on campus?"
"It's for you!" Satoru said with cheer, gesturing down to it with pride on his face. "Midori-chan said you should definitely eat it!"
Suguru's doubtful gaze flicked to her, and she nodded forcefully.
"It's a dementor! Like from the books and the movies! I gotta study it!"
Suguru hummed, clearly still undecided, but crushed the cursed spirit into a ball still, letting it thunk to the floor, contained. "A dementor? Really? Are people really that scared of them, that a cursed spirit was formed?"
Yeah, she had her doubts too.
"You don't have to eat it right now, you can just save it if you want, Geto-san." She assured him, "I really just wanted to make sure it wasn't destroyed completely. And we have to get back before Molly realizes that we're missing."
Satoru nodded, but before they teleported, he leapt forward, pressing several quick kisses to Suguru's face, making the teenager giggle and push him away, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. Adorable.
They reappeared among a much calmer crowd of people, no longer steadfastly looking down and away from the creature they couldn't see but only felt.
Once they found Molly again, the rest of the trip went smoothly, somehow. She wondered if it was a trap or something, trying to separate her from Satoru again, but he never even set her down, for once even grabbing Nishinoya for her. Molly seemed to notice, but didn't comment. She was always watching, observing them. She wouldn't be surprised if the Obas had asked Molly to gather a little information that they, as authority figures, wouldn't get the chance to see.
They did end up finding another bookstore, and she bought an interesting Pokémon magazine, but they failed to find any of the books that she wanted. Possibly not enough interest to be translated or stocked here. She ate her cold onigiri when she got hungry, passing on the fast food restaurant that Molly and Satoru both agreed on.
Molly got more clothes, Satoru got a bunch of snacks, and they generally had a good time, for all that they both remained alert. She wasn't forced into clothes shopping, so she counted it as a win. Even if she kinda needed it.
The Obas picked them up, and that was that.
They were going home.
It felt almost too easy, but they just… left the mall, safe and sound. Unaccosted. She'd been waiting to be attacked or something, but other than the dementor, everything else avoided them.
"Did you kids have a good time?" Oba-chan asked from the passenger seat, and they all chorused their agreement. Hers was a tad weaker, but in her defense, she was glaring daggers at a grade four curse outside their window, daring it to try and approach. When it met her eyes, it flinched and scattered away. Wimp. Satoru ruffled her hair affectionately, clearly laughing at her, and she huffed, pushing it away.
Then it went back.
Then, they were scuffling, and he was messing up her fucking hair, again! She twisted in her car seat as best as she could, kicking at him with both feet with a hiss, arms raised for defense.
Oba-chan giggled, but Oba-san rapped her hands sharply on the dashboard. "Enough roughhousing! Wait until we get home!"
At her words, she subsided. Satoru took longer, clearly still considering it, but settled eventually.
They just. Went back to the restaurant.
She was excused from unloading on account of being outweighed by most items present, so she acted as Satoru's second shadow as he reluctantly helped unload the car, stuffed to the brim with items and ingredients.
"They didn't even have to take the trailer this time." Molly assured Satoru with a sly sort of smile, "It's easy today."
Satoru grumbled about it, but led the way inside, probably cheating his heart out making it weightless or something.
The rest of the day just passed. Satoru played around, trying to fix the computer as Oba-san had requested what felt like forever ago. She shadowed him the whole time, unwilling to wander off, but eventually settled enough to try out her games. Pokémon Ranger looked awesome, but the thought of trying something new right now just wasn't appealing.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.
She loaded the game, taking the little quiz. The docile type. Great. Who was she gonna get?
Chikorita!
She could live with that, even if she kinda wanted to be her beloved cyndaquil or charmander. It was her original starter after all, the very first Pokémon she ever played. It seemed fitting, almost.
"Satoru-nii, pick a buddy for me." She asked, offering him the ds. He took it, looking at the options.
"Which one are you?"
"Chikorita. A pure grass type the whole way down. Weak to fire, ice, bug, poison and flying types. I need someone to cover my weaknesses."
"So, maybe fire then?"
She shrugged. Whatever he picked out. Eventually, he grinned, selecting one and typing out its name before handing it back to her.
Cyndaquil. And he named it Suguru!
"The same…"
"Eyes, yeah!"
Adorable. So flipping adorable.
She played for a good two hours as Satoru ran some sort of virus scanner thingy, looking beyond bored. The cash register that was attached to the computer, running some sort of off-brand system for keeping track of orders and stuff, was taken apart and put back together like four times at least as Satoru sat and waited, idly watching her play and shouting out encouragement.
She forgot how OP bullet seed and other repeating moves were. Midori-Chikorita carried hard.
The day just passed, just like that.
So did the next.
And the next.
Her cursed energy had finished refilling in the meanwhile, and with it, the return of a large chunk of her anxiety. She was too nervous about breaking this unexpected peace to try and enchant something again. The way things were building, she'd end up hospitalized or dead if she tried.
Officer Nin visited at least two times a day, always bringing little gifts like candy or small toys. She rarely took them, but Satoru would snag the candy, much to Officer Nin's irritation. She appreciated the effort and told him so. If anything, it gave him a little hope.
It was rare that she was any further than a few feet from Satoru, even with how peaceful it had been recently. Being alone just made her want to burst into tears until someone found her again, so she just didn't. She could manage quick bathroom breaks with only a few sniffles and a little crying upon reuniting, but her attachment to him was definitely turning towards a clinical disorder type thing. It likely wasn't going to be something she could or even should try to break by herself. Not now at least, while it was serving a purpose and keeping her safe.
The next day, a Tuesday, was looking to be just as uninteresting. Officer Nin had come visiting again, unimpressed by the state of their room. Most likely, the lack of her actually using hers.
"Don't you want your own space too?" He tried coaxing, but she shook her head.
"I haven't been separated from Satoru-nii-san for any longer than a few minutes in, like, four days or so. You think I can handle sleeping separately?"
His flat expression said it all. He didn't have to look so pained about it.
She knew it wasn't good. She knew it. But right now, it was what it was. Training herself out of it wasn't going to happen. It wasn't safe to let it happen. Once they got back home, things would be easier.
Once they got back home.
"How long have we been here?" She asked, trying to count back the days. So much just kept Happening, how long had they even been here for?
"Six days." Officer Nin answered.
"A week now." Satoru answered too, overlapping. They looked at each other for a moment, before Satoru clarified.
"You left Jujutsu Highschool a week ago. Been here for six days."
A week. One- fucking-
Not gonna freak out about it. She took a deep breath. The time would pass either way. She just had to make it that long. How long did Yaga say he would be again? Two, right? But they said more like five or something…
Her expression must've said more than her silence did, because Satoru shot Officer Nin a sharp glare, snatching her up. It wasn't exactly the man's fault, but go off dude.
"How's Todo?" She asked, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
"Good. He's expressed his displeasure with the constant relocation, but hasn't run off yet, which is more restraint than I expected from him. He's handling it well. Seems like he likes the rock you gifted him, he was holding it the whole time that I visited him yesterday."
Good. If only she knew what it did. She just kinda… infused it. Really, she wanted to make sure he always had something extra to swap with, even if he had to use it to escape and had to leave it behind, so she didn't care much besides just her curiosity. Strong, strong curiosity.
She might care just a little bit.
Things went quiet after that, mostly just little bits of small talk from a standoffish Satoru and a halfhearted effort from Officer Nin. He looked tired today.
She fetched her DS, resuming her playthrough of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. She was nearly at the end of the main storyline she knew, hopefully there was still extra stuff beyond it too. She usually didn't try to 100% a game the way some people did, she wasn't too sure on how long she would maintain interest. Suguru-quil was a handy little fella, but Chik-ori was ridiculous with her multi-hit moves and general tankiness. She should've used Chikorita more often in the past, instead of sticking with her love of fire types.
"What're you playing?" Officer Nin asked, and she looked at him, doubtful.
Alright…
She'd bite.
"It's called Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team. You get to play as a Pokémon. In this story, you're a human who was transformed into a Pokémon somehow, and you form a rescue team with the Pokémon who found you. It's fun. Hard sometimes, but fun. Satoru-nii named my partner after Geto-san because they have the same expression a lot."
That was the most she'd said to him since their last discussion. Apparently he'd hit the jackpot on how to get her to talk. She had some things that she was just obsessed about. Pokémon and Jujutsu Kaisen were two of those things.
"And what Pokémon is that?" He asked, pointed to the boss she was fighting.
"Groudon. He's a ground type. He's weak to my," She pointed at Chikorita, because she doubted that he knew them on sight, "grass type attacks. But, Suguru, that Cyndaquil over there, is weak to his attacks, so I'm having him keep his distance. He keeps getting hit though, and using up all my reviver seeds, so it's a battle of attrition right now. I have to take him down before he takes Suguru down, or else I have to go back through the whole dungeon again. And lose a bunch of items and money too."
As she spoke, Suguru went down again, using the final reviver seed. She frowned, leaning closer. She'd done a ton of damage, surely he was nearly finished? One more bullet seed might… if she did enough… but Suguru might not be able to withstand the next attack. Not to mention, if he hit her with a fire attack too.
She swapped off Suguru-quil's other attacks, leaving him only his strongest. Hopefully together they'd do enough to defeat him bi.
Yes! The best defense truly was a good offense.
Finally, Groudon was defeated, and they could rescue Charizard, Tyranitar, and Alacazam. How those three powerhouses were actually defeated by Groudon, she didn't know. Still fun. Next, the fight with Rayquaza. She was gonna need so many reviver seeds, god. And the dungeon too, was it as hard as the one in Sky? That one had really messed her up when she was a kid, just trying to make it to Dialga.
"Did you want to go to the park or something? I have some time, if you feel like going out somewhere." Officer Nin offered.
She shook her head. "I'm good."
Officer Nin left it at that, just idly watching her play. Satoru sat down and slid over close to her, hooking an arm around her shoulders. Possessive much? He was practically saying 'mine' to the Officer, even glaring at him. She didn't mind it, it really helped soothe her anxiety about being observed while playing. She never liked it much, even if Satoru was somehow the exception.
Eventually, Officer Nin left, waving goodbye, and Satoru straightened and moved over a bit, no longer hunched protectively over her like a wild animal protecting its next meal.
"Do you think Yaga's almost done?" She dared to ask.
Satoru nodded sharply, remaining silent though. His hand was on her shoulder, warmth seeping through her sleeve to warm her cool skin. She had a blanket over her lap, but even then, she was always so chilly.
"I want to go home."
"I know…" Satoru sighed, tugging her into a hug again, her dungeon crawl forgotten.
"I know."
The day passed, just like that. She never quite worked up the cheer to continue playing. She handed it to Satoru, who tucked it away in his pocket. She felt heavy, hopeless. A whole week left? It would be forever…
She didn't feel like getting up the next day.
Satoru handed her her DS, but…
She just didn't feel like anything.
Satoru didn't leave her for more than about thirty seconds for the rest of the day, rushing down to grab stuff for food and forcing it in her hands. He didn't force her to eat, just looked at her with horribly sad eyes, so she took small bites whenever she remembered that the food was still in her hands. When she did, his face would light up, so she did eventually finish it. Then, Satoru sat on the bed, hugging her against his chest. Nishinoya sprawled over her hip, watching with worry.
"I feel like we're all just messing everything up when this happens. Am I doing something wrong here?" He whispered, heart-achingly uncertain.
He wasn't. It was just how her brain worked right now. Sometimes, even if things weren't bad, she still just went away, barely even present. It just happened. Something was broken in her brain, something that didn't have a chance to heal while she was so fucking terrified all the time. Something in her head thought she was always in danger, always about to be attacked. It wasn't exactly wrong either.
She could be attacked at literally any time. All it took was the right curse, the slightest lapse in attention…
Paranoia would get her nowhere.
Not when she had a get-out-of-being-tortured-free card. Just a using a little too much cursed energy, leaving the seal a little too empty and-
She shouldn't be thinking about that. Not while she was like this. She had to stop.
Instead, she let her head loll backwards, resting on Satoru's collar. She hated sleeping on her back. It was too vulnerable, too exposed. Satoru made it feel safe somehow.
Napping because you couldn't bring yourself to get out of bed for most of the day wasn't generally a good sign, in terms of mental health. Officer Nin might have come by, she was vaguely aware of seeing him at one point, but she'd been thoroughly out of it by that point.
Satoru had had enough by the next morning, scooping her up and carrying her around with him, like going about normal activities would help.
"Is she okay?" Oba-chan whispered, her eyes wide and soft with concern. Satoru didn't try to answer, his jaw clenched. He just put an onigiri in her hand, setting her in his lap to eat. His hands were shaking as he took his own onigiri, as if to eat, then set it back down.
She didn't want to eat right now. She wanted to drift off again, to stop.
"Midori, please eat."
She didn't want to.
"Please. It's bonito flakes, it's your favorite."
She didn't want to.
"Midori. Please Midori." Satoru sounded pleading, on the verge of tears himself.
She didn't move.
"Go take a break dear. I'll handle this." Oba-san said softly, sweeping her up into her own arms. Satoru made a protesting noise, but he didn't reach out to stop her either. His next breath was shaky in that familiar way, and he covered his face with his hands.
"Why don't you want to eat darling? Is it not to your taste right now? Maybe something a little easier to digest would be better, do you think?" Oba-chan asked, settling down into her own chair at the table and setting her in her lap. It was strange, being in someone else's arms. She kinda wanted Satoru back, but Oba-san was leading him away.
Oba-san was leading him away.
She watched. Caught his backwards glance as he stepped past the doorway.
He didn't stop.
She didn't start panicking like she would've a few days ago either. It felt faint, too far away to matter. Maybe if she died right now, she wouldn't even know it.
Someone was crying, on the other side of the door, a thump as someone fell back and slid down it, followed by heartrending sobs. Oba-chan's breath hitched, but she didn't leave to go and see, just gently continued urging her to eat, offering some type of soup, raising it to her lips. It was a slow, irritating process, but she didn't have to move.
Being fed was a new low for her. Soon enough, she might as well just-
She was just so pointless.
She missed last week, when she felt so weirdly good.
How'd that happen again?
Putting the effort into remembering was just too much to consider.
Sometime later, Satoru re-entered, his eyes red and puffy. It was an odd look on him. He seemed steadier now, his hands stable as he ate his onigiri. After a pause, and a glance her way, he ate hers too.
He took her back into his arms, heaving out a sigh when she remained pliant.
"Officer Nin thinks you should see a therapist…" He said carefully, and paused, like he was waiting for a reaction. "I agree with him, actually. Isn't that surprising? They can get you in pretty quickly I guess. He said you're having a- a crisis right now, or something. We're gonna take you tomorrow."
There was a moment where he waited, for an answer or a protest or something.
Silence.
"Right. Sounds good then. He said I can even stay in there with you, for now. The shrink doesn't think it'll hurt for a first meeting at least, since you're so distrustful of adults, and strangers, and- yeah. Oba-chan's gonna help me wash your hair, alright? So your hair isn't all messy. You'll make it to tomorrow, right? It really isn't normal for you to be like this for so long. Is there anything you need?" Satoru rambled, talking faster than normal.
Not particularly.
Satoru's shoulders slumped, but Oba-san's hand thumped on his head, ruffling his hair in a way that had Satoru's face make a strange expression, somewhere between confused, vaguely offended and reassured all rolled into one.
They didn't take her upstairs immediately, instead, Oba-san pulled out a deck of cards, leading Satoru over to the table under the guise of using his shoulder for support. Oba-san dealt out four hands, leaving a pile in front of her too. How inclusive.
Satoru played both of their hands, instead.
He looked better, around others. She'd been so listless, she'd been dragging him down too.
She hated herself. The thought came unprompted. The thought was true. She always had, probably always would. Her analysis of herself wasn't trustworthy, but it was ever-present enough to supersede any others. Itfelt true.
She wished she'd died for real.
True?
Or false?
If she'd never appeared here, Riko would be dead. Satoru and Suguru were together, maybe even Yu-nii and Nanami. Nishinoya had been created. A little girl was experimented on and had her body stolen by a stranger. It still would've happened, mostly, if she hadn't gone here.
So… she shouldn't wish that. She'd done good here.
Satoru wouldn't be crying on the other side of the door where she couldn't watch if she'd never come here, though. She didn't blame him. Looking after someone who was ill, mentally or physically, took its toll. She'd had a dog who had gotten sick once, fighting for nearly a year as her family tried desperately to save her. The poor dog had only been four when she died. The weeks leading up to it were haggard. The poor girl would cry and cry and cry, but then have moments of being normal, or not being in pain, that encouraged her family to keep trying. She'd spent three hours sitting on the floor with her, just listening to the howling and whining, before her mother had gotten back from the store.
She'd burst into tears on the spot, the moment she was relieved of her duties. Even over a year later, the sound of a kid's toy, somehow just the right noise, had brought her right back to that moment. She had to leave the room. Her Dad had enjoyed playing with it before it had gone to the child it was intended to be gifted to, turning the sound on, and she'd ended up snapping at him for it.
That Satoru was finally nearly broken down from this relentless situation, caring for a mentally ill child that he hadn't been prepared for, was no surprise.
She wanted to be dead. She didn't want to go through school again, to grow up, to become an adult and relive everything all over again. It would all be so much easier to just die and know she'd done enough, that she had made a difference.
True… or false?
This… just wasn't something that she could debate rationally as she was right now. She should bring it up to the therapist when she sees them. She should just move on. Shove it away and lock it up tight where it won't come out again.
They played like five hands, and Satoru won three. She, through Satoru, won the other two. Satoru was a card shark it seemed. Being able to spy on the other players' cards probably helped.
Satoru checked his phone often while he played, frowning at it. He'd looked towards the door a few times between rounds, looking through them as if he was expecting someone to show up. It had faded throughout the game, as the Obas drew him into chats she didn't pay enough attention to hear.
At some point, she'd… blinked, it felt like, and then her hair was wet. She wasn't sure when she'd drifted off to sleep, but Satoru was determinedly scrubbing her hair with a dry towel to absorb the wetness, and Oba-chan was waiting patiently with a brush in her hand.
Oba-san handed Satoru the brush and took him by the wrist, taking his other hand and putting it on the back of her head. Making sure that brushing wouldn't pull her hair probably. She was grateful.
Satoru worked with determination, and she was vaguely smug that he was finally helping her untangle her hair, as opposed to tangling it. It was vague, but it was there underneath the ever-present haze that covered up everything else.
Rather than take her back to the table, Satoru picked her up and took her to a much more plush looking chair in a room she wasn't familiar with. Oba-chan led the way, grabbing a TV remote as she entered, and handed it to Satoru. "You two have fun here for a bit, alright? We have plenty of channels, I'm sure you'll find something that you enjoy watching." She said kindly, giving Satoru's shoulder a pat. He looked awkward about the affection, but he didn't reject it.
She walked off, leaving them in silence.
"I hope you don't feel too bad right now. I'm… not sure what it feels like. I wish I did. You're not scared, are you? I've got you, alright? Nothing's going to happen to you while I'm around." Satoru said after a long silence. He had yet to turn the TV on.
He didn't expect an answer, and she didn't offer one. She felt bad about it, but the effort to open her mouth was just too great right now. Really, he was being so patient. More than she had expected of him.
Satoru's phone buzzed again, and he checked it. He seemed surprised by what he saw, but a little more animated too. Something exciting?
"Officer Nin's bringing someone over apparently. If I had to guess, I'd say Todo. I know you aren't feeling up to playing, but you'd probably enjoy hanging out, right?"
She would. Todo was someone she honestly admired. Even if she couldn't talk to him right now, just hanging out with him would be nice. As long as Todo didn't take it as a challenge or something.
He totally would, wouldn't he?
She sighed, really just a slightly deeper breath than normal, but it made Satoru brighten a bit. He tugged her closer to him and turned the TV on, more upbeat than he'd been all day.
They watched some weird game show for about half an hour before Satoru sat up abruptly. He stared through the floor with astonishment for a solid minute before scrambling to his feet. Getting jolted around in his haste was definitely unfun. She actually managed a squeaky-toy like noise of protest, and he immediately slowed enough to take hold of her more securely.
Then, he absolutely bolted towards the door. The rush certainly had her heart pounding. It made her feel so weird, her cursed energy up in arms and ready to run or fight while the haze of passivity remained. A dichotomy.
Satoru charged into the main restaurant area wildly, tripping and stumbling in his haste in a way that was unlike him.
Was something wrong?
Officer Nin was just entering, starting in surprise a little at their sudden entrance. He looked… disappointed. Why was that?
Someone else walked in behind him, almost on his heels.
Yaga.
The haze wasn't lifting, but her head was buzzing anyways, agitated bees trying to fly through a cloud of cotton. Her arms felt like they were full of pins and needles, a rush of blood to her head.
Yaga.
Yaga, Yaga, Yaga, Yaga, YagaYagaYa-
Satoru almost threw her into his arms, pushing Officer Nin aside.
Yaga.
Her control over her own limbs was lackluster at the moment, but she threw her arms haphazardly around his neck anyway. It was an awkward angle, her arm was sticking up weirdly, but it was Yaga, and he was hugging her so tightly it almost outweighed the tingling discomfort of the pins and needles.
"Hey kiddo." Yaga said, a tightness in his voice that had absolutely nothing to do with her arms around his neck. "I missed you."
She could barely breathe, her throat and her chest hurt from the effort of holding back tears, but she could force out a jerky nod and a robotic tap on his back.
She missed him too.
So, so much.
"Sensei, she's been- ah, just having a hard time for the last few days? I'm not sure she can… talk yet." Satoru murmured awkwardly, much more timidly than she would expect. He kept his distance. Was he expecting to be censured or punished for not stopping from happening? It wasn't like he could fight her own broken brain.
Yaga wasted no time. He grabbed Satoru's shirt and yanked, making Satoru stumble closer, and then Yaga's arm was looped around his shoulders, dragging him right into a hug.
"Well done, kid." Yaga said simply. Satoru flinched at the compliment, a sharp, disbelieving noise leaving his mouth.
"Look at her. She's barely conscious, she hasn't been eating. I couldn't stop it." Satoru shrugged helplessly, a harsh laugh leaving his throat like it was torn from it forcefully. The strongest sorcerer of the modern age, trying to save a kid from her own mental health issues.
"She's alive. You saved her. Multiple times. Those goddamn idiots at HQ never dared to go for her either. You did so good, Satoru. I'm so proud." Yaga breathed, the sincerity in his voice
Damn if those words didn't break Satoru down, his breath catching audibly in his throat. He slumped into Yaga's hug, letting Yaga take his weight, and the man handled it easily, holding both of them close for a good long time. She couldn't see it well, could barely turn her head without feeling like a robot with rusty hinges, but it seemed like Satoru's shoulders were trembling. Satoru was the one to pull back first, scrubbing at reddened eyes with one palm. He didn't leave Yaga's personal space though, just moved a little off to the side, no longer directly in front of him.
"Get your stuff kid. Hers too. We're leaving as soon as I can convince Officer Nin to let us leave."
Leaving.
They were going home.
She wished she could talk.
She had the absolute, most perfect thing to say right now. When she tried to force the air out, it just made a strangled noise, and Yaga's grip loosened, like he was afraid he'd been hugging her too tightly.
'It's about damn time.' She couldn't say.
'I missed you, too.'
'I want to go home.'
And…
'I need a therapist so fucking bad, Papa. Like, so, so badly'
But, her throat refused to cooperate, so instead she was silent, soaking in the warmth of Yaga's body heat as he threw his arm around Satoru's shoulders again, this time pulling him closer so they could work out a game plan. Satoru looked at him with a little bit of disbelief, like he couldn't believe that this was finally about to be over, that things would be going back to normal soon.
She didn't much care what the plan was, if she got to stay in Yaga's for longer, she was content.
Everything was okay now. Yaga was going to make sure of it.