Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga)呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Rating: Explicit
Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Content Warnings: Dubious Consent, Prostitution, Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blood and Violence
Categories: F/M, Multi, F/F
Relationships: Gojo Satoru/Original Female Character(s), Nanami Kento/Original Female Character(s), Getou Suguru/Original Female Character(s), Ieiri Shoko & Iori Utahime
Major Characters: Original Characters, Gojo Satoru, Getou Suguru, Nanami Kento, Okkotsu Yuuta, Toudou Aoi, Zenin Naobito, Zenin Jinichi, Zenin, Zenin Ougi, Fushiguro Megumi, Kamo Clan, Nitta Akari, Inumaki Toge, Ieiri Shoko, Iori Utahime, Kusakabe Atsuya, Muta Kokichi, Itadori Yuuji, Hakari Kinji
‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾ Chapter 6 ☽༓・*˚⁺‧͙
Neon lights. Flashing, blinking. Too bright. Too loud. Shinjuku, yeah. Streets crowded, people everywhere. Faces blend, eyes stare. They know. They all know.
Feet heavy. Can’t walk straight. Clothes loose, slipping off. Hair a mess, tangled. Hands shaking. Cold sweat.
Talking, muttering. Words jumble, mix up. Can’t think straight. Can't stop. Vending machine glowing. Magic box. Stare at it. Laugh. Silly laugh. Hollow, empty.
Billboards. Big, big, big. Colors swirl. Signs talk to me. They know secrets. Listen close. Can’t hear.
Golden Gai. Tiny bars, little lights. Peek inside. Warm, inviting. Can’t go in. Not for me. Not real. Dream place.
Feet move again. Alleys twist, turn. Lost. So lost. Heart races, thumps. Boom boom boom. Head spins. Everything spins.
Stop. Stand still. People brush past. Bumping, pushing. Don’t see me. Invisible. Just air.
Walk again. Stumble. Trip. Fall. Get up. Keep moving. No direction. No idea. Just move. Just go.
Voices, sounds. Horns honking. Music somewhere. Far away. All blend. Noise soup. Brain can’t handle.
City swallows me. Neon jungle. Electric maze. Can’t escape. Keep wandering. Keep searching. For what? Don’t know.
Lost in Shinjuku. Lost in myself.
Wait. Not alone. Shimizu. Yeah, Shimizu. Where? Look around. Blurry faces. There. Is that Shimizu? Hard to tell. Vision wobbles.
“Shimizu?” Call out. Voice cracks. No answer. Move closer. Stumble. Almost fall. Hand grabs shoulder. Shimizu’s? Feels real. Feels like a friend.
Shimizu’s eyes, wild. Same as mine. Lost too. Both lost. Together. Or maybe not. Can’t remember. Friend? Enemy? Doesn’t matter.
“Shimizu, man, you okay?” Words slur. Hard to speak. Shimizu nods. Slow, uncertain. Eyes darting. Looking everywhere. Nowhere.
Walk together. Side by side. Two ghosts in Shinjuku. Shimizu laughs. High-pitched, strange. Makes my skin crawl. I laugh too. Can’t help it. Everything’s funny. Everything’s scary.
Shimizu points. “Look!” What? Can’t see. Lights blur. Shapes move. Nothing clear. “You see it?” Shimizu asks.
I nod. Lie. Don’t see. Don’t understand. Just nod.
We walk. Stumble. Lean on each other. Hold each other up. Or maybe pull each other down. Hard to tell. Don’t care.
“Remember when...” Shimizu starts. Stops. Shakes head. Memory gone. I nod again. Pretend to remember. Pretend it matters.
Streets twist. Turn. Neon jungle grows. Shimizu’s hand tightens on my arm. “This way,” he says. Or maybe I say. Don’t know whose voice.
Shimizu’s face close. Too close. “You real?” I ask. He laughs. Doesn’t answer. Real or not, Shimizu’s here. That’s enough.
One twisted path. Shinjuku’s maze. Together, apart. Doesn’t matter. Keep moving.
Following Shimizu. Where to? Don’t know. Don’t care. Just follow. Feet heavy, dragging. Mind wanders.
Her face. Her voice. Love her. Hate me. She hates me. Always did. No, not always. Used to love me. I think. Maybe?
Her smile. So pretty. Now, just a memory. A painful one. Did I make her smile? Can’t remember. Made her cry. That I know.
Shimizu’s ahead. Leading the way. Trust him? Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Keep walking. Keep thinking.
She said, “I hate you.” Clear as day. Echoes in my head. Over and over. My fault. Always my fault. Messed up. Pushed her away. Saw her tears. Did nothing. Nothing at all.
But she loved me. Didn’t she? Delusion. Maybe. Don’t know what’s real. What’s not.
Shimizu laughs. Breaks my thoughts. “This way,” he says. Voice like a ghost. Follow him. Steps uncertain. Path unknown.
Remember her laugh. Sweet. Like music. Long time ago. Before everything went wrong. Before I ruined it.
She hates me. Said it. Felt it. But sometimes... I think... Maybe she still cares. Deep down. Buried under the hate. A spark. A flicker.
Delusional. Stupid. But can’t let it go. Cling to it. Like a lifeline. Keeps me going. Keeps me moving. Even if it’s a lie.
Shimizu stops. Looks at me. “You okay, man?” His voice fuzzy. Like through water. I nod. Lie. Always lying.
Her face again. In my mind. Clearer now. Eyes sad. Hurt. Because of me. My fault. Always my fault.
But still... maybe... she loves me. Somewhere inside. Past the hate. Past the pain. A part of her. Small part. Loves me. Can’t be true. But need to believe it. Need it. No point without it.
Shimizu moves again. I follow. Steps heavy. Heart heavier. Streets twist. Mind twists more.
Love. Hate. Same thing now. Messed up. Broken. Just like me. Just like Shimizu. Wandering. Searching. For what? Don’t know.
Her face fades. Shimizu’s back ahead. Neon lights blur. Keep moving. Keep hoping. Keep lying to myself.
Streets twist, turn. Shimizu’s ahead, leading. Don’t know where. Don’t care. Just follow. Then, a door. Shimizu points. “In here,” he says. Voice like a whisper.
Step inside. World shifts. No more neon, no more noise. Quiet. Soft light. Cozy bedroom. Feels familiar. Feels safe. Heart pounds.
There she is. On the bed. Sarah. Can’t believe it. Eyes wide. Is this real? She looks up. Sees me. Smiles. Warm. Soft. Not hate.
“Come here,” she says. Voice gentle. Sweet. I move closer. Feet light. Heart racing. Is this real? Must be. Feels real.
Sit on the bed. Close to her. She reaches out. Touches my face. Her hand warm. Soft. Tears in my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. Voice breaking.
She smiles. Shakes her head. “It’s okay. I’m here.” Pulls me close. Hold her. Tight. Never want to let go. Feels right. Feels real.
Her scent. Her warmth. Everything. Just like before. Before the hate. Before I messed up. Tears fall. Can’t stop them. She wipes them away. “Shh, it’s okay,” she whispers.
"You little bitch." Is that me? Did I say that?
It's not her. But it is? She's here for now. That's enough. This works.
My hands off her throat. She coughed.
"Stop fucking yelling at me! I didn't do it." He is angry. I think he's me.
Nails digging in. A fist hits my chest. Her pretty green eyes are rolling back. Her face is red.
Cunt is sucking me in. Didn't even know I was hard. Legs locked behind me. She likes it. She does.
"Y—"
"Shut the fuck up! Just shut up! You never let me talk! You never do, huh?" Why am I so angry?
"Y-you—"
Let her go, my hands pulling back. My eyes are focusing in. Am I coming down? No. Not yet. Need to cum first before she's gone again.
"Don't go. You can't go yet." Now he just sounds pathetic.
My hands are on her tits, my pace slowing. Nice and deep and hard. She's so into it. I can tell. She's always into it. All of them are. I'm the best. They always tell me that.
"G-gojo! Mmn~!" See? She's happy. That's good.
My shirt is still on. It's too hot for silk. My pants are around my hips. I'm fucking her faster now. She wants that for sure. I can tell. She's holding me tight and her tits are on my chest.
She coughed and I think I laughed. I'm the strongest and I know it hurts. She likes it when it hurts.
"Fuck you," I growled at her like a fucking animal. Am I an animal? No, that's wrong. I'm a fucking monster.
"You always wanna blame me, huh? Always wanna make that shit my fault, don't you? Don't you, you stupid slut? I told you it's not me. I didn't cut you like that. I was the one that let you out. I was there. You don't remember?"
I gripped her throat, pushing her down harder into the mattress. My skin was crawling with fire ants, chewing and itching. It was wearing off.
"Fuck you! Fuck you fuck you fuck you!"
I kissed her. God, I love her so much.
Her legs are shaking. Her eyes are rolling again. I need to let her breathe. I don't want to yet. She's opening her legs further and letting me fuck her deeper.
"You're too pretty like this."
I'm not gonna kill her. I would never. But I just want to squeeze her throat harder. I want to squeeze those thoughts right out of her pretty head. I want me to be the last thing she sees. But I won't kill her.
"Cum. Now." I hissed out. I could feel it coming. I wanted to cum. I needed to before she left. Her eyes rolled back, the air cut off just enough to make it feel good. God, that always makes it better.
"Now. Right now."
"Satoru. Cum in me, Satoru. I love you, Satoru."
I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks, my eyes closed as my balls squeezed everything out onto this whore's stomach. I wish it was her. I wish she'd say that for me. I wish she didn't hate me so much.
It's not my fault. Stupid bitch.
━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━
"Fumiyaaa!" Itadori shouted happily over the crowd, "Hey! Over here, man!"
"Eyy!!" Fumiya called back, weaving his way through. His mask reflected the lights, catching the multi colors on its gray paint.
Hakari and Panda were there with Yuji, greeting Fumiya as he arrived. Hakari passed him a cigarette which he gratefully took, slipping it between the teeth of his mask. His brushed back his sleek black hair before reaching into the pocket of his vest to fish out a lighter.
"What's going on tonight, fellas?" He asked with a mischievous smirk, "Anything interesting?"
"There's some Zen'in trash on our property." Hakari said with his eyes on his phone and cigarette clenched in his teeth, "We ought to go clear that shit out."
"Which property?" Itadori asked, already stretching his arms, "The new lot?"
"Yeah," Hakari nodded, unzipping his hoodie and pulling it off to throw over his shoulder, "The one Geto-san managed to get last week."
"Well, shit," Fumiya grinned, the light glinting off his shiny silver piercings as he turned his head, "Let's go take care of it."
"Did you tell anyone we're doing this?" Itadori asked, looking at Hakari, "Shouldn't we tell the boss?"
"You worry too much." Panda grunted, "Gojo won't care. This is good for us."
"He's not answering anyway," Hakari said, hanging up the unanswered call to Gojo's phone, "He's probably busy."
Itadori walked with an easy grace, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a mix of curiosity and determination. Beside him, Hakari exuded a nonchalant confidence, his hands in his pockets, a small smirk playing on his lips. Towering above them both, Panda moved with surprising agility for his size, his presence both imposing and comforting. And somewhere in between the three Fumiya seemed to blend right in almost like a ghost.
As they navigated through the crowd, Itadori glanced at Hakari. "So, do you know how many there are?"
Hakari shrugged. "Not sure. But all we need to do is make a bit of noise, and they'll come to us."
Panda chuckled, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. "Leave that to me. I’ve got a knack for getting attention."
They turned into a quieter side street towards the lot where the sounds of the city faded slightly. Itadori could feel the tension rising, a sure sign that something was amiss. His fingers twitched in anticipation, ready to call upon his cursed energy at a moment’s notice.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the shadows ahead of them, behind him a group of other sorcerers looming. "So, you showed up," the figure said, voice dripping with disdain. "Gojo's boys, I assume. How quaint."
Hakari rolled his eyes. "Quaint, huh? Let's see how quaint you think we are after we kick your ass."
Without warning, the figure attacked, sending a wave of cursed energy towards the trio. Itadori moved instinctively, deflecting the attack with a swift motion. Hakari vanished, only to reappear behind their opponent, his fist already in motion. The impact sent the robed figure sprawling, but more sorcerers emerged from the shadows, surrounding them.
Panda let out a roar, his massive form charging into the fray. He swung his powerful arms, scattering the attackers like leaves in a storm. Hakari and Itadori moved in perfect synchronization, their attacks precise and devastating. Itadori's fists crackled with cursed energy as he struck down one opponent after another, while Hakari's speed and unpredictability left their enemies reeling.
Despite their skill, the sorcerers were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. Itadori felt a flicker of frustration but pushed it aside, focusing on the battle. He caught Fumiya's eye, and the older sorcerer nodded, understanding passing between them.
"Time to turn up the heat," Fumiya said, his smirk widening.
Itadori unleashed a powerful burst of cursed energy, creating a shockwave that knocked their opponents off balance. At the same moment, Fumiya activated his domain expansion, a complex array of symbols and energy forming around them. The space warped, trapping their enemies within a twisted ethereal version of Shibuya. Like ghosts within a fog, they moved out of sight from the Zen'in group.
Within the domain, Itadori and Hakari's attacks became even more effective. Panda's roars echoed through the distorted fog, his strikes breaking through the enemy defenses with ease. One by one, the opposing sorcerers fell, unable to withstand the groups combined might.
As the last of their enemies crumbled, the domain faded, and they found themselves back in the real Shibuya, the city seemingly unaware of the battle that had just taken place. Itadori took a deep breath, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away.
"Well, that was fun," Panda said, dusting himself off with a goofy grin. "We should do this more often."
Hakari laughed. "As long as there's a good fight, count me in."
Without warning, a figure materialized behind Fumiya, moving with an eerie, almost supernatural speed. Before any of them could react, a single, precise blow landed on the back of Fumiya's neck. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
"Fumiya!" Itadori shouted, spinning around, but it was too late. The figure was already upon them, a blur of motion and power. Panda roared, lunging forward to protect his friends, but a devastating strike sent him crashing into a nearby wall, the impact leaving a crater in the concrete.
Itadori's eyes widened, adrenaline surging as he tried to muster his cursed energy. Yet, the mysterious attacker was too fast. A brutal punch connected with his midsection, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to his knees. Before he could recover, a final, bone-jarring blow struck his temple, and darkness enveloped him.
The vibrant lights of Shibuya blurred and dimmed as Itadori fell, joining his comrades in unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was the figure standing over Fumiya, their presence radiating an overwhelming, malevolent power. Then, everything went black.
Itadori's consciousness slowly returned hours later, his senses gradually coming back online. He felt a dull ache in his body, a throbbing pain in his head, and a strange warmth spreading through him. He blinked his eyes open, finding himself in a dimly lit room, the familiar surroundings of their home base coming into focus.
"Easy there," a calm voice said. Itadori turned his head slightly and saw Hani, Yaga's healer, kneeling beside him. His hands glowed softly with healing energy as he tended to his wounds.
"H-Hani?" Itadori croaked, his voice raspy. "What happened?"
"You were ambushed," Hani replied gently, his expression a mix of concern and relief. "You, Hakari, and Panda were brought back here after we found you unconscious in Shibuya."
Itadori tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, and Hani placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Take it slow. You took quite a beating."
He glanced around the room, spotting Hakari and Panda lying on adjacent cots. Hakari was still unconscious, but Panda's eyes flickered open as Hani's healing energy worked on him as well.
"What about Fumiya?" Itadori asked, worry creeping into his voice.
"He's stable for now," Hani reassured him. "Panda's coming around, and Hakari just needs a bit more time."
Panda groaned, shifting slightly. "What hit us?" he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.
"It was an ambush," Hani explained. "A powerful sorcerer caught you off guard. We're still trying to identify who it was, but their abilities were formidable."
Itadori frowned, memories of the attack flashing through his mind. "We need to find out who did this and why."
"And we will," Hani said firmly. "But right now, you need to focus on healing. Revenge won't do any good if you're not at full strength."
Itadori nodded reluctantly, knowing she was right. He lay back, letting the soothing warmth of Hani's healing energy wash over him. The pain gradually subsided, replaced by a comforting sense of peace.
As he rested, his thoughts drifted to the battle in Shibuya. The speed and precision of their attacker had been unlike anything he had encountered before. Whoever it was, they had a clear objective and had executed it flawlessly. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but it also fueled his determination.
"We'll get them next time," Itadori murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
Panda, now fully conscious, gave a grunt of agreement. "Damn right we will. No one knocks us out and gets away with it."
Hani smiled softly, his hands still glowing as he continued to heal them. "Just make sure you listen to me and rest. You'll need all your strength for what's to come."
Hani jumped to his feet, his face turning pale. He coughed, a thick black liquid oozing from his nose. Quickly, he dashed behind a curtain. Itadori and Panda exchanged worried looks, sensing the tension in the air.
━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━
"Fuck!" Gojo growled, slamming his fist into the wall then dragging both hands through his hair, "Are you fucking serious?"
Geto shook his head, looking away from the corpse with a grimace, "Fumiya..."
"Apparently Hani couldn't keep him stable," Nanami said, his jaw setting as he let the sheet fall back down over the young man's corpse.
"Fuck." Gojo breathed, ignoring the blood dripping from his knuckles. He'd seen the missed calls, the texts. He'd been too high to react or even to notice. He had no idea the boys had even been fighting.
"Do we know the situation?" Geto asked softly, "Itadori, Panda, and Hakari were found as well. Any information from the three of them?"
"It was a territory dispute," Nanami explained, "The Zen'in group was moving in on our newly purchased plot."
"The one I bought?" Geto asked, voicing his disgust with a click of his tongue when Nanami nodded.
"So it was the Zen'in, yeah?" Gojo muttered, lifting his head and slowly turning to look at the corpse again.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Nanami said, "The other Zen'in were already gone when we found them and it had been nearly an hour since they were knocked out."
"And he was still alive when he came here." Geto added, "It may not have been intentional."
"Bet they fucking tried to finish him off." Gojo spat, picking the tile out of his knuckles as the wounds healed themselves, "Shit heads. We don't kill if we don't have to. None of them died."
"Again, don't jump to conclusions." Nanami said, turning to Gojo, "Keep yourself calm. If you jump the gun on this it could cause an enormous problem for all of us."
Nanami walked over to the sink, washing his hands before he dried them on a paper towel. Tossing it in the bin, he headed towards the door to leave the morgue. Geto's eyes followed him and before he turned the knob the dark haired man asked, "Where are you off to?"
"I was going to inform Fumiya's next of kin," Nanami said, then glanced over his shoulder at Geto, "Is this a problem?"
Geto shook his head, "No. Just curious."
Nanami stared at Geto for a moment before he nodded and opened the door. He stepped aside as Yaga came into the room then left with a polite bow to his leader.
"Damn." Yaga said in a deep sigh, lifting his sunglasses to look at the body on the table, "Young Fumiya. Such a shame. He was a good kid."
"The Zen'in did it." Gojo grunted, "I want to get revenge."
"Don't act rashly." Yaga said quietly, "I know you're upset, but acting too quickly could cause trouble." He looked at Geto, "Let's put the drug investigation on hold for now until we understand what happened here. Talk to Itadori, Hakari and Panda for me. I'll speak with Naobito and we'll see if we can get this sorted without any more bloodshed."
Gojo let out a frustrated sigh, kicking a metal chair aside as he grabbed his jacket from the back. He marched towards the door, a scowl etched on his face. His emotions of guilt and anger were evident, overshadowing the sadness he felt deep down. He had a habit of getting close to new recruits quickly, mentoring them and cherishing their presence. Losing one hit him hard.
Out the door he went, slamming the door behind.
"Have someone watch him." Yaga said softly, "I'm worried he's going to do something drastic."
Geto nodded, "Yes, sir."
Geto made sure to tread lightly as he followed his best friend. Gojo seemed on edge, ready to explode at any moment. Once inside his bedroom, Gojo shot Geto a glare before disappearing from view.
"Satoru," Geto sighed, "Why don't we go get a drink tonight? We'll drink for Fumiya, hmm? Have a nice easy night."
Gojo didn't answer at first. Then after a moment the door cracked open, "Fine."
"That's the spirit!" Geto said brightly, "Why don't you get some sleep then? I'll take care of talking to the boys. I'll come get you when it's evening."
Gojo gave a quick, feeble nod and gently shut the door. Geto could hear the faint sound of Gojo's footsteps as he made his way to bed, followed by a creak. Letting out a sigh, Geto turned and headed towards the infirmary.
Hani hunched over a metal bucket, catching his breath. Using a soft hand towel, he wiped his lips and dry heaved the dark liquid in short bursts. He signaled to Geto with a finger before spitting out more of the thick goop. After clearing his throat, he managed a weak smile.
"Hey, what's going on, sir?" Hani rasped out.
"Just coming to talk to the boys. Carry on." Geto said with a smile. He reached into his pocket, handing over a few hard candies that Hani gratefully took.
Geto moved past the white curtains to find Itadori just finishing buttoning up his white dress shirt. The young man smiled a little, though it was obvious he'd recently cried. Hakari was facing away, his arms on his knees and his head down. Panda's gaze was fixed on the distance, his fluffy body slumped.
"I'm so sorry, boys." Geto said softly, "I'm sorry that we failed you this time. We should have come with. What happened to Fumiya was not your fault."
"It was our fault." Hakari grunted, "I fucked up, boss. I should have waited for backup."
"I should have tried harder to get you to listen." Itadori muttered, "I should have been better in the fight."
Panda said nothing, only sniffling and wiping his snout on his arm.
"Don't talk like that." Geto said, shaking his head, "It's easy to get caught up in what could have happened or what you should have done. What happened was not your fault." He smiled, patting Itadori's shoulder, "Now, let's move forward. We're going to get to the bottom of this, alright? Tell me everything."
The three of them explained the story, from meeting up to when they were last conscious. Geto waited until they were done before he said, "Ah, so it must have been Toji."
"Toji?" Itadori asked, "Who's that?"
"He's a member of the Zen'in." Geto explained, "He has absolutely no cursed energy, so you wouldn't have been able to sense him."
"That's true." Hakari said, standing up and stretching his back, "He came outta nowhere, that guy. And he took us out so easily."
Geto nodded, "He's certainly no one to be trifled with. Don't feel bad about a loss versus him. He would have been difficult even for me."
"So... What now?" Panda asked quietly, "Are we going after the Zen'in?"
"First we're going to find out what happened." Geto explained, "We can't make an assumption. This is a delicate situation between our groups that could escalate much too far."
"But if it was the Zen'in..." Hakari muttered, cracking his knuckles.
Geto nodded, "Yes. If it was the Zen'in we will get our retribution."
"Alright. What's the plan then?" Itadori said, his eyes flaring with determination, "I want to find out. For Fumiya."
"The first thing is that you three need some rest. Real rest, not hospital room rest. Go home. Get some good sleep. That's an order." Geto said with a smile, "I'll be going out with Satoru tonight and I'll gather some information. Yaga is going to speak with Naobito tonight as well. We'll have an answer tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." All three of them answered.
Geto stopped by Hani again, watching as the man shook his dreads back out of his face. He patted at the beads of sweat on his forehead with his washcloth, then sighed heavily before glancing up at Geto.
"Anything strange in the cycled energy?" Geto asked.
Hani shook his head, "No. No poisons or drugs either," he gestured to the bucket full of black fluid, "It's just pure cursed energy residuals in there."
Geto glanced into the bucket and grimaced. He was all too familiar with the flavor of curses. Hani was a kindred spirit in that regard. His healing technique basically filtered out damage caused by cursed energy and forced him to regurgitate it. Slower than RCT, but it also worked on poisons and illness.
"Well, good work." Geto said with a smile, "Want to join Gojo and I tonight for a drink?"
"Ah, sure. Why not." Hani said with a nod, "It's been quite a while since the three of us went out."
"Wonderful." Geto said, "I'll come get you this evening then. I've got a few more things to take care of and Satoru is resting."
━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━
The sun set on Shinjuku, leaving the neon wonderland in its wake. The streets buzzed with the hum of life, a chaotic symphony of humanity. But tonight, there was an uninvited guest. A fog, dark and thick like the breath of a dragon, crept through the alleys and around the high-rises. It slithered between the flashing lights, curling around the legs of oblivious passersby.
This fog wasn't the usual city mist. It had weight, substance. It moved with a purpose, rolling in like smoke from a gun barrel, sinister and silent. Shadows danced on the slick pavement, but no one seemed to notice. They laughed, they yelled, they hurried along their way, blind to the creeping darkness.
The fog wrapped itself around the base of skyscrapers, coiled up the sides of neon billboards. It lingered in doorways, snuck into subway grates. The city was alive, but the fog brought a deathly hush. It was as if the night itself had grown teeth and was stalking its prey, unseen and unchallenged.
Shinjuku, beat on unaware. But something lurked in the mist. Something that watched. Something that waited.
The cursed spirits stirred. They sensed the fog before it even touched the ground, a harbinger of something powerful and malevolent.
In the dim corners of Golden Gai, the spirits whispered among themselves. They were barely more than shadows, flickering in and out of existence, their eyes gleaming with an unnatural light. The fog wove through the narrow alleys, curling around their forms, and they shivered in anticipation. This was no ordinary mist; it was an invitation, a call to something darker than the usual nightly hauntings.
From Kabukicho to the underground tunnels, the spirits buzzed with excitement. The fog's tendrils reached into every hidden nook, waking those who had slumbered for centuries. They could feel its power, its promise of chaos and upheaval. It was like a long-lost friend, returning with secrets to share and havoc to wreak.
The cursed spirits watched the oblivious humans, their laughter and ignorance a stark contrast to the impending doom the spirits sensed. They reveled in the irony, their excitement growing with each passing moment. Whatever the fog heralded, it was something that promised to tip the balance, to shatter the mundane into shards of terror and delight.
In the heart of the fog, something ancient and wicked began to stir. The spirits gathered, their forms coalescing into a mass of dark anticipation. They knew something the humans did not, something that made their darkened hearts race. The fog was not just a visitor; it was a prelude to a night that Shinjuku would never forget. And the spirits, ever hungry for fear and chaos, were ready to embrace it.
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Hitagi Honeymoon
007
“Hey Oikura, I'm going on a honeymoon to Tochigi with Hitagi tomorrow, would you like to come along?”
“Die.”
“You shouldn't tell a twenty-four-year-old to die.”
“I had too many things to say, so I simply and succinctly said ‘die.’ I didn't want to speak more than one word to you. But, I'm an adult too, so let me organize and list my objections one by one: don't invite me on a honeymoon, don't invite me the day before, and I hate you. Hate the hate with hate by hate for hate to hate at hate of hate.”
“What? You came to the wedding, didn't you? That was the first time I saw you dressed up. You looked fantastic.”
“I attended as a friend of the bride. Don't address me so casually, you married man. Don't say ‘fantastic’ without any sincerity.”
“Can't you take time off? Just for three days.”
“When will you stop thinking like a college student? I have work. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, and the following day, and the day after that and the one after that and even the day after that. I may have unpaid leave but no paid leave.”
“You should retire, just say you're sick and need to be hospitalized.”
“Don't try to put me in a hospital. Even if every page of my schedule book was blank, I would eternally refuse to go on a trip with Araragi.”
“Which Araragi is that, though?”
“It should go without saying. It's not at all complicated. I'll continue to call Senjougahara-san by her maiden name. After all, she's going to get a divorce soon anyway.”
“Ahahaha. So, about that.”
“Don't ignore my curse.”
“I have thoughts about us sharing the same surname. Well, I knew it was a sudden invitation and you might not come, but if I didn't at least give it a try, I thought you’d be complaining later.”
“Don't make me out to be someone so troublesome.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“If you're asking if I don't like being called a troublesome person because I am one, the answer is yes.”
“You really are troublesome.”
“Even if I had an appointment booked six months in advance, I still wouldn't go.”
“Your schedule is packed all the way to half a year later. That's amazing for a town hall worker.”
“Ah, isn’t this just like you? Even after getting married, you never quite become an adult.”
“Well, now that I have a family of my own, I thought we’d have a close-knit family relationship with you from now on…”
“Impossible. I don't have a family.”
“"That was tactless of me. My apologies. Let me formally apologize for what I just said. However, you did accept and witness our marriage registration, so you're practically quasi-family to us as a married couple?”
“No, that was part of my job. What even is a quasi-family?”
“Witnessing for us was part of your job too?”
“Senjougahara-san, who ended up with a guy like you who barely understands how to fill out paperwork, brought the marriage form without a name listed for the witness. So I reluctantly lent my name just so it could be processed.”
“We are very happy and grateful for that, but it's also kind of worrying that you might end up becoming a co-signer for someone's debt someday like this.”
“Don't worry. If I were to become a co-signer, the debt review would not even pass.”
“What kind of past do you have?”
“A turbulent one. My credit history is a mess. My name got changed and reset once, but still.”
“Oh?”
“Haven’t I mentioned that? No no, you just forgot as usual, Araragi. When we first met by some mistake, I wasn't Oikura.”
“Was that so? Oh right, I think Ougi-chan mentioned something like that, maybe she didn't—”
“Who's Ougi-chan? Another new addition of the Araragi Girls? She wasn't at the wedding.”
“She's stuck at school, unfortunately, so couldn't make it to Tochigi…Oh, I see. You didn't idolize Euler just because you were Oikura. You loved mathematics even before the Old Oikura began.”
"Old Oikura or not, it's still me—it's just a change in the name.”
"I see, that makes sense."
"What other cases could there be?"
"Well, I feel like for some people, their name really shapes them. Like me - having the name 'Koyomi' makes me want to become a historic figure."
“Your 'koyomi' and 'history' use different kanji.”¹
“No way.”
“How embarrassing it is to think that someone like you is representing Japan and training in America. I wonder if I should revoke your working visa with my authority.”
“Are you such a powerful figure? I can't believe someone so capable could be exploited like this. I'm not exactly representing Japan and training at the FBI Academy or anything.”
“So you've always been a student."
“Don't you worry about me. I'm enjoying my eternal life, oh, I mean eternal moratorium.”
“You’re not exactly living up to your name. Not turning the pages of the calendar.”
“You have a way with words. In that sense, you’ve grown up, just like your name suggests.”
“How annoying. I know that when I was attending Naoetsu High School, people were badmouthing me behind my back, calling me 'Oikura Sodatanai.'”²
“I didn't know that… I know you were called 'How Much,' but why 'Sodatanai’?”
“Then I've just revealed some unnecessary information. Senjougahara-san told me about it some time ago.”
“She might be the source of that rumor. If it was during our first year of high school.”
“How can that be, when I looked after that sickly girl without holding back anything?”
“She loved to talk bad about people she liked. And she didn't speak ill of those she wasn't interested in.”
“It was just a lovely little tsundere moment, that nickname, wasn’t it.”
“Oh, for the first time in my life, I heard you praise someone, although it was such a simple compliment.”
“Is it just Senjougahara where you're going?”
"Well, despite everything going on, my schedule is getting packed. It's only a two night, three day trip but…I've got to catch a flight to Washington on the fourth day."
"You should be the one taking time off. I'm sure they'll understand over there."
"Even though I've been pulled every which way, I'm still technically in training. The wedding itself was quite the forced march…and with everything commission-based at work, I can't take too much time off."
"Sounds like a tough work environment all around. I definitely wouldn't go, but as a witness I'll be happy to proofread your honeymoon itinerary. What's the roadmap looking like?"
"It's nice getting your corrections again."
"I doubt you remember back when I used to proofread your work."
“I remember, maths fairy.”
"Want me to send you to an early grave?"
"You're the only one who could raise me up or put me six feet under. Anyway, no way around the two night, three day schedule, so I've had to drop some places like Ashikaga, but there are still a few spots we just can't miss."
"You should build in some wiggle room on a trip like this. Otherwise it'll be too jam-packed."
"You're probably right. We're driving back and forth to squeeze it all in."
"Driving instead of taking the bullet train? Why? You want to be jammed in while stuck in traffic too? Haven't you heard of traffic jams?"
“Don't shoot down the idea all at once. I did suggest the bullet train, but Hitagi-san really wants to drive.”
“Right.”
"Ever since high school, she got her license on the sly before she even graduated. She's just that kind of person, you know? I heard about this mountain pass called Irohazaka from someone else, she said she really wants to try."
"They'll rescind her license for that."
"Well, that's a problem for day two. On the first day we're going to Nasu Highlands. There's something I need to see there-- the Killing Stone."
“Killing Stone? On your honeymoon?”
"I know how that sounds, but it's not like I'm excited to see the Killing Stone itself. That's just incidental. The main thing is I want to go glamping. It's really trendy right now. Barbecues, hot springs, a nice relaxing experience-- that's what I'm looking for."
"No amount of barbecues or hot springs can offset a place as ominous as the Killing Stone. If you're not excited about it, then who is?"
"The next day after having nasuben in Nasu, we'll go down from the highlands to Nikko. We'll see the Sleeping Cat at Nikko Toshogu Shrine."
"Not answering my question at all. The Sleeping Cat… to commemorate Hanekawa-san, I assume?"
“She's not dead. Hanekawa is still alive… probably. But I read about it in the guidebook-- apparently there is a bird carved into the back of the Sleeping Cat. Cat with wings. It made me wonder if Nikko Toshogu Shrine was the inspiration for Hanekawa's character."
"Surely you're not going just to see that-- it's a World Heritage Site. You should try to learn something other than math, you know."
"Along with Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine nearby is also a World Heritage Site, and it's famous for being a shrine for matchmaking, so I'll be sure to properly visit and pray there too."
"Ah, now it's sounding more like a honeymoon. Finally."
“I also heard there's a huge sword, Nenekirimaru, at Chugushi Shrine near Lake Chuzenji, so if possible, I’d like to show… uh, see it too.”
“Suddenly you're acting all suspicious. I feel like there are opinions from lots of different people mixed in. Are you two really deciding this just between yourselves?”
“As you can see by me asking for your opinion like this, I do want to take in lots of different views-- that's just the democratic sort I am.”
“Hmm… smells fishy… I'll launch a negative campaign against you if you run.”
“What an unpleasant threat.”
“So you want to climb Irohazaka to get a look at that big sword?”
“I'd love to ride one of those swan boats on Lake Chuzenji if they've got any going. We talked about climbing Mt Nantai too but it looks like you need to submit a climbing plan for mountains at that level, so I dropped that idea.”
“It'd be great if you got lost and died up there. Just you, mind.”
“Well, if that's what you want I could make it happen, but if there are casualties it causes trouble for the mountain. I don't want to upset nature. So I'll drive carefully on Irohazaka. And if we've got time after that I want to see Kegon Falls and Ryuzu Falls before heading to Senjougahara while there's still daylight.”
“Why's that? To see the stars?”
“I'm going along with Hitagi's idea that it'll be an anticlimax if we can see stars before we get to Senjougahara. She wants us to watch the sun slowly set when we get there, spot the first star, and then spend the whole night gazing at the starry sky.”
“Rather than stargazing, it sounds like serious amateur astronomy. What, we're camping out the second night too?”
“The second night we sleep in the car.”
“Hardcore.”
“To be honest, when I suggested it I was planning we'd look at the stars for a couple of hours then head to a hotel. Apparently it's got some nice ones. But when I asked, Hitagi said it was her lifelong dream-- to look at the stars all night long, without blinking. So it's full-on hardcore stargazing.”
“She really is a romantic. And you just casually invite me on some crazy tough trip.”
“When we die, we die together, Oikura.”
"Death comes for us all eventually, I suppose. I won't deny the allure of stargazing, but unless it's a meteor shower or a lunar eclipse, can you really spend a whole night just staring at the sky without getting bored? I've spent my life looking at the ground, so I don't really understand it."
“Don't casually mention such sad things…”
"I've stomped on the ground all my life imagining it was you.”
“Don't casually mentions such scary things either… But the stars keep moving relentlessly, you know. It's like timelapse photography- or fixed point observation, I guess… They may not be shooting stars, but if I can make even one person's wish come true, I've no complaints. Except for the other guys, that is."
“Other guys?”
“Oh, I just mean there might be other tourists there stargazing too.”
"Maybe, it being a weekday and all… I won't call it a bad hobby, but I can't imagine those starry-eyed stargazers sticking it out all night. Even if it's summer, it must get freezing spending a night on Senjougahara, right? It's pretty high up there."
“Is it? I thought it was a marsh, so I imagined it was quite flat.”
“What was that about climbing Irohazaka?”
“Oh right… I'd better take precautions against the cold then. That's good advice. You really let your guard down, Oikura.”
“I thought Senjougahara-san wouldn’t overlook something like that. What's the plan for the last day after stargazing all night at Senjougahara?”
"I'm keeping that day open, as a buffer. If all goes well, we'll finish up with one last stargazing session, then head home. But I don't anticipate a trouble-free trip, traveling with me and all."
“How lame… With you, Araragi, you’re not so much a troublemaker, but more like a firestarter.”
“So what do you think about our honeymoon roadmap?”
“It isn't over until you get back home.”
“What do you mean?”
“After spending the entire night stargazing, descending Irohazaka seems to be a risky proposal, no matter who drives.”
“We'll be fine. It's not like we'll be drinking while watching the stars, and we'd already have traveled the path once on the way up.”
“But you wouldn’t have. You're ill-informed, Araragi. The ascent and descent of Irohazaka are two separate paths.”
“Ah, I think I recall hearing that from… someone else.”
“What someone?”
“A fanged someone.”
“What's that supposed to mean? I haven't been there myself, but if the geography class I took in college was accurate, the ascent should be Irohazaka no. 2, and the descent Irohazaka no. 1.”
“The ascent is the second slope? We must view the mountain peak as the starting point, I see. The seat of the gods.”
“The forty-eight syllables on the slope are counted from the bottom up. Anyway, drive safely. Before descending, make sure to take a nap. Apart from one major concern, that's pretty much all I wanted to say.”
“There's something bigger than a traffic accident? You should've led with that!”
“If mentioning the ominous Killing Stone was simply a side note, then I assume the main events of the honeymoon are the glamping on the first night and stargazing on the second, right?”
“Well, yeah. I'm looking forward to Toshogu Shrine and the Nenekirimaru, but it's actually my first time going on a trip with Hitagi. That’s why those two are something I centered on.”
“Have you checked the weather forecast?”
“Huh?”
“What if it rains?”
I was stopped dead in my tracks.
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Comparison of 暦, koyomi (calendar), and the first kanji in 歴史, history.
Sodachi is a verb meaning “to grow”, and sodatanai is its negative form. This joke was actually first made in Owarimonogatari audio commentary narrated by Sodachi and Hitagi. That is the conversation Sodachi references shortly after.
翼Tsubasa=wing.
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