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#this happened after nanami had to kill a guy who got possessed by a curse tool/object
saeraas · 1 year
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this whole chapter, gojo's talked about wanting to drink/get drunk but keeps buying non-alcoholics. he knows it's over for him after one drink
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chaoticsoulsword · 1 year
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Ahem. This post will probably age poorly but my mind won't stop being delusional so here are some thoughts I gathered regarding the future of jjk.
*spoilers till ch. 237*
Gojo: although it pains me deeply to say this, I don't think Gojo is making a comeback. Was the fight fair? To an extent, yes. What really displeases me is the fact that Sukuna only achieved his full form AFTER Gojo's death. Like, I give 0 fucks about Kashimo, dude lost to the pachinko guy. So it doesn't sit well with me that Gojo wasn't the one who cornered Sukuna when he was considered the strongest since day 1. Outrage aside, Gojo had a certain level of closure when "meeting" his friends in the afterlife. Gege killed Nanami for way less (when he came to the conclusion that Nanami reached his peak as a character and thus wouldn't have anything else to add to the story -- which I disagree but let's not focus on this). That means that the story can't go forward with Gojo being the strongest while Yuji is the protagonist. Did he have to die? No. He could have got free from his "curse" (being the strongest) by having his powers erased or something. He'd still see his dream come true by having his students take down the conservatives of the Jujutsu system (which is actually kinda blurry now that the world knows about curses and sorcery but eh, anything can happen now, maybe a cursed technique like Pucci's Stairway to Heaven). In conclusion, I'll miss my silly blorbo but that's the end of the line for him *cries*
Nobara: BUT! Have you realized how Nobara wasn't in Gojo's afterlife? In addition, I'm still clinging to Nitta's words: "It's not a zero percent chance, okay?!" When confronted by Yuji about her status, Megumi doesn't reply, but we know he's a guy of few words when it comes to feelings. Besides, Yuji had been through a LOT (more would come, ofc, but not the point), so it's possible that Megumi was protecting him by not giving Yuji false hope. All these clues lead me to believe that Nobara is in a state of coma, still healing from Mahito's blow. She isn't done yet, she has a promise to keep and she's not one to give up so easily. Nobara has the potential to return. And speaking of which...
Megumi: Poor little guy's soul is literally trapped in the void while the demon who possessed him without any consent has reincarnated in HIS body. I see many fans discussing that only his soul can be saved BUT something has caught my attention. When Megumi asks Hana/Angel if her technique can revert possessed players to their original players, she replies that it's not impossible, but it's extremely likely they will die because the cursed object and the body fuse. "It's difficult to strip one away". Okay, so it's hard. But there's a chance, especially assuming that Megumi's soul is a state of suspension. That keeps Megumi and Sukuna "separated" to an extent, meaning that maybe Hana can rescue his soul and heal his body after Sukuna is destroyed. Not to mention her role as a "divine" figure. If she can pull a jujutsu called Jacob's Ladder, why not a Lazarus' raising?
And those are my delusions predictions. Gege is really a cruel, heartless storyteller, but it's not fair that Yuji keeps losing people he loves over and over. I still have some hope that this story isn't just deathbait for shocking value. I know everything changed after the Shibuya Incident, and still... Yuji is not supposed to die alone. It's the very motivation of his character. So let's bring some comfort back, right, Gege? 🔪 *threaning aura*
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A Cursed Reality-JJK x M!Reader (Ch.2)
Question: Do you guys prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters? I’ve been making an effort to write longer chapters but if you hate reading them I’ll write them less.
Warnings: fluff, comparison of Inumaki’s speech to a disability/handicap, cursing. Dislike of Maki (Not me. wrong bitch. I love her)
Previous || Next
Chapter Two:
[Name] actively dislikes hanging out with the second years. Not that they’re bad people in any way, it’s just he’s anxious and awkward, and even after spending a year familiarizing himself with the school and the people in it, there’s like a small group of people he would invite to his birthday party.
That and he just doesn’t care for Maki Zen’in. And it is most definitely mutual. To him, she’s just pretty. She also won’t die in a battle between her and a curse below first grade. But that’s about the end of her appeal. Of course, Panda is fun to tease but he typically plays the peacemaker between the second years. [Name] would rather not care about people in peace.
There’s no dramatic reason to it all, it’s just [Name] didn’t really come to Jujutsu Tech by choice so he hadn’t intended on making friends. He obviously failed considering he befriended Inumaki within his first day and they have some homoromantic vibes going on in their friendship.
That’s not to say you can’t platonic cuddle with your best friend but when you longingly gaze into each other’s eyes and he’s the only friend you’ve made besides an annoyingly hyper 30-year-old because no one else understands you like he does… And it kind of goes both ways considering you’re the only person he trusts himself enough to have a full-on conversation with.
Yeah, it’s not looking very good for the argument that they’re not gay. They’re not though. At least not now.  
“[Name]”
“Yeah toge?”
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind” Inumaki responded. And although he had plenty of experience saying words, having a conversation without using safe words felt a little weird. It was an aspect of who he was now and [Name] being immune to the cursed speech wouldn’t erase the problems he had with talking and it didn’t make [Name] his savior or soulmate.
Luckily [Name] was both lonely and not a complete asshole because he had no problems adapting to the switch between Toge’s ‘onigiri glossary’. Learning it was actually a really fun experience because it turns out Inumaki did not have the exact translation of all his safe words. He would just say an ingredient and [Name] had to fill in the blanks. There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of [Name] smiling down at Inumaki’s concentrated face.
“I was just thinking.” [Name] broke the contemplative silence.
“Hmm”
“You know” [Name] started again “... They say it was believed people kept their souls in their throats” and as Inumaki gave a confused denial (“fish flakes”) [Name] was internally panicking on whether or not he should keep going with this specific train of thought or make a joke to deflect from the very real and emotional but corny statement he was about to utter.
“Ah fuck it. I want to exercise the curses in the world or at least enough to keep you safe so you don’t keep damaging your soul when you use your cursed technique”
“Sujiko”
[Name] looked at Inumaki. And as if breaking off pieces of his soul didn’t matter to him, Inumaki spoke, a short sentence that stunned [Name] into silence
“I love you”
If Gojo hadn’t come in, they might’ve kissed.
“[Name]-kun!!!”
Aaaand [Name]’s sentimental mood was gone. Don’t get him wrong, Gojo definitely would get an invite to [Name]’s birthday party, but the man was like 30 running around being overly cheerful and with that teasing nature he was definitely repressing some trauma. He also definitely had some of the worst timing
“What is it Gojo?”
“No sensei at the end? So mean!
“Fushiguro was sent out to find a cursed object but he’s been out all day with no calls back home or anything. Of course I plan on going to check on my beloved student, but I am busy for the next hour or so. Can you please check on him? For your favorite sensei?”
“My favorite sensei is actually Nanami and he’s not even a sensei but yeah I’ll check on the emo kid”
‘You’re pretty emo yourself dude’ Gojo thought to himself
“Ah Thank you [Name]-kun. You’re a lifesaver” Gojo called out behind him as he left to do whatever it is crazy white haired ‘old’ men do.
‘He’s/I’m totally not doing this for free’ both [Name] and Inumaki thought at the same time.
[Name] got up suddenly and started getting ready to leave paying no attention to Inumaki who watched him get ready with a casual interest. Before [Name] headed out, he turned to look at Inumaki with a serious and concentrated expression.
“Toge.”
“I love you”
“What the hell happened here?”
“....”
“Fushiguro-kun, if you please”
“Well I only know half of the story so it’s best if we hear it from Itadori”
All eyes whipped to the shirtless Yuji who had just gotten control of his body back from Sukuna, the apparent king of curses.
“I’d say it started when I went to school this morning but I think it started a little earlier for Fushiguro. Right Fushiguro?” Yuji asked
‘I swear I’m going to explode if someone doesn’t tell me the how we got this far I mean Fushiguro is bleeding from his head, this pink haired enthusiastic kid is possessed and I can’t tell if he’s too sweet to care or if he lost a few of his brain cells when he and the little emo first year wrecked this building’ [Name] thought to himself.
Clearing his throat he began “Well okay Fushiguro has a lot of really bad injuries so is it okay with you if he just quickly shares his part and then you take over?”
“Ohh Yeah that makes sense” Itadori awed and both he and [Name] turned their attention to poor Megumi who was bleeding from his forehead.
“Yesterday I was sent to retrieve a special grade cursed object and when I got there it was gone. Gojo sensei told me I couldn’t go home until it was recovered. The next day I stalked around the school and investigated when I saw Yuji for the first time.”
“Oh I remember that. It’s my turn to take over now. Uhh. I was in the occult club with my senpais Sasaki and Iguchi and we were asking the spirits about which animal the Student Council President was weaker than ( a fish) and then he burst in the room because he didn’t approve of our club-”
“Fast forward please” [Name] interrupted
“Fushiguro found me after my grandpa died and told me Iguchi and Sasaki were in danger because of the finger so I led him to the school where they said they were going to peel off the seal”
“And that’s why we’re here” [Name] surmised
“So what’s the situation”
“Gojo-sensei”/ “Old Man what are you doing here?” Megumi and [Name] called out
“I wasn’t gonna come but the higher ups got involved. I knew you’d all be fine though, I sent [Name] here to deal with it.”
“That’s true” Fushiguo mumbled
“I’m glad you all have faith in me” [Name] started “But that means I came here for absolutely nothing”
“... So did you find it?” Gojo asked
“Um sorry.... I ate it”
Gojo who didn’t hear the whole introduction and [Name] who didn’t quite get to the eating of the finger part in the story turned to Yuji in shock
“For real”
“For real”
“Haha you’re not kidding. They’re combined. How does your body feel?” Gojo asked Yuji
“Okay”
“Can you switch to Sukuna?”
“Sukuna?” Yuji asked
“The curse object you ate”
“Oh yeah. Probably”
“Ten seconds” gojo said “Take control again after ten seconds”
“I dunno about this”
“Don’t worry. I’m the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer”
Megumi looked to [Name] after hearing a curious “hmm” but [Name]’s face showed no anger or displeasure.
“Megumi hold onto this will ya” Gojo’s voice bled through Megumi’s thoughts of who would win between [Name] and Gojo. Give it a year or two and it might actually be [Name].
“What’s this?” Megumi asked
‘It better be a fucking weapon’ [Name] thought ‘Because if he sent me out because his important business was shopping he’s gonna regret it’
“Kikufuku Mochi” Gojo replied casually before feeling bloodlust leaking from [Name]. He’ll just have to make it up to the second year somehow
“Behind you” Fushiguro called out and [Name] sucked his teeth hoping Gojo would get hit at least once. He did not get his wish once
“I’ve got a student watching so..I hope you don’t mind if I show off a little bit” . And after that Gojo commenced kicking Sukuna’s ass. Sukuna tried to monologue a little as he sent out a powerful attack, but he missed Gojo on account of Gojo’s infinity dispelling the attack. By the time Sukuna realized Gojo was unharmed it was time for Yuji to switch back.
“Oh was everything okay?” Yuji asked as he came to his senses.
“Oh what a surprise” Gojo responded “You really can control it”
“Yeah, but he’s kind of annoying”
“It’s a miracle that’s the only side effect” Gojo said right before knocking Yuji out with one finger
“If he wakes up and isn't possessed, he might have potential as a vessel. Okay question for you two. What do I do with him?”
“Even if he is a potential vessel… He must be executed under jujutsu regulations…
“But I don’t want to let him die”
“Is that a personal opinion? Gojo asked
“Yes, a personal opinion. Please do something about it.
Gojo smiled and the two of them turned their attention towards [Name] who had been silent throughout the whole experience.
‘Besides being a little too excitable, he’s not bad. Like a puppy. I’d keep him as a pet.’ [Name] thought
“Don’t kill him” he said
“A precious student's request. And one from my favorite second year? Of course. Leave it to me!” Gojo said before lifting Yuji up.
[Name] still a little upset he was called away for nothing, raised his hand in front of his mouth so gojo couldn’t see what he was doing and whispered
“Fall over”
“Aak! [Name]-kunnn”
Fushiguro was shocked to see Gojo faceplant on the ground with Yuji on his shoulder. If the combination of Fushiguro’s wide eyed expression and the sight of Gojo in pain made [Name] giggle a little, he’d never admit it.
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nonstop-haikyuu · 3 years
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The Ending He Deserved (JJK imagine)
I’ve recently been reading the manga and rewatching the anime with my roommates and because of this, I realize that I’m still not over them killing Junpei so this is the fic that remedies that awful decision!
Tagging @haikyuufairy and @concussed-to-pieces! I love you both, kisses
WC: 2.3k (ignore the shitty ending, I’m tired)
“Junpei run! Run and use my phone to call Nanamin! Please just get out of here!” Yuuji shouts, tossing his phone at the shorter boy. Junpei gives a frantic glance over his shoulder at Mahito, a brief moment of hesitation filling his head before the pink haired sorcerer shoves him down the hallway. He frantically races down the corridor and stumbles his way down the staircase as he scrolls through Yuuji’s contacts in search of the person named Nanamin.
He hits the dial button and seconds after pressing the phone to his ear, a gruff voice answers, “Itadori-kun, you better not be at the high school after I specifically told you to stay with Ijichi.” Junpei draws in a sharp breath and blurts out, “Please, you have to hurry, I think Mahito is going to try and kill Yuuji, please I don’t want him to die!” The man on the other end gives a sigh, as if he’s unsurprised by the young man’s defiance, then replies, “I’ll be there in two minutes. Please keep yourself hidden from the curse.”
The phone falls silent and Junpei hurries into a storage closet, holding his breath while the fighting on the floor above continues.
Minutes, maybe even hours pass and he’s tempted to peek out of the space to see if the battle between Yuuji, Mahito, and the stranger has come to an end when footsteps come closer to his hiding spot. He freezes against the wall as his shoulders shake with his panic. What if Mahito had killed the two sorcerers? Does he run? His Shikigami is weak after it’s small spat with Yuuji and truthfully, he’s not sure if he could even stand a chance against the curse.
A soft knock sounds at the door and he clenches his eyes closed. If he didn’t move or make a sound, perhaps Mahito would look elsewhere. But the person knocks again and it dawns on him that the long haired man wouldn’t bother with such niceties. He pushes the door open and sure enough, Yuuji and a stranger stand on the other side, both looking ragged.
He blows out a deep breath and crashes into the pink haired teen with a sob. Itadori returns the hug with a pat to his back, chiming, “I’m really glad you’re okay, Junpei.” The stranger glances around the hallway then states, “We should get going. There’s no telling whether that curse is going to come back or not. Gojo should also know what happened here.”
Junpei’s eyebrows furrow together at the unfamiliar name then the man turns to the teenagers, introducing himself as Nanami Kento, a grade one sorcerer. Itadori leans in close and mumbles, “He doesn’t let us call him Nanami-sensei, so Gojo-sensei and I call him Nanamin. You can too.” The two begin to walk down the staircase but Junpei stays still, tears trekking down his cheeks. They pause at the sudden sound of sobs then turn to face the young man, as Yuuji asks, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“You- you’re just going to take me in? Just like that? I almost killed you! A-And I was working with a curse! Isn’t that against your rules or something like that? Taking in someone that was trying to kill one of your students?” Junpei cries out, stumbling to his knees.
The sorcerer gives a small sigh and places a gentle hand on his shoulder, before he explains, “From what I understand, Mahito compelled you to use your cursed technique to get revenge for your mother and punish the ones that tormented you. You’re just a scared, confused child who doesn’t understand the power that he’s been given. As a Jujutsu sorcerer, it is my job to help you gain a better understanding of your technique and how you can use it for good. But of course, the final say is up to the principal and he’s taken in a lot of children like yourself.”
Junpei sniffles at the explanation Nanami provides then Yuuji urges his friend to his feet, chirping, “Besides, I’m possessed by the King of Curses and you don’t see them turning me away! How can they say no to you?” Junpei leans into Itadori’s side and they continue to walk downstairs until they arrive in the parking lot where a dark haired man stands next to a car.
The man begins lecturing Itadori about the dangers of confronting Junpei after Nanami had specifically forbid him from doing so, only to pause when he noticed the older teenager standing behind the sorcerers. He glances at the grade one sorcerer with a questioning look, only for the blond man to give a small nod of approval.
The thin man slides into the driver’s seat then asks, “Are we going to see Gojo-san and the principal?” Nanami takes the passenger seat and confirms the driver’s thoughts.
-
“My my, another second year? How exciting!” Gojo chirps, leaning forward with a bright grin. The principal maintains an unreadable expression then turns to Nanami, asking, “What do you think? Will this boy turn on us to help the curses?”
The blond removes his glasses and rubs at his eyes as he answers, “Truthfully? I don’t believe he will, considering that it was a curse responsible for placing one of Sukuna’s fingers in his home and it killed his mother. Once he understands that, I truly think that he will never want to be near another curse without exorcising it.”
The principal glances at the two teenagers slumped on the couch, curled underneath a blanket, then sighs as he asks, “Well, Gojo, do you think you can take on another student?” The white haired man’s grin widens then he exclaims, “Of course I can! Yuuji is a quick learner and Megumi and Nobara are in the safe hands of our trusty second years for another month! By what Yuuji says, Junpei learned how to use his cursed energy to create a jellyfish shikigami powerful enough to poison an entire gymnasium of people in just a matter of a few days. I think he’ll make an excellent addition to the group!”
Masamichi pulls out the pile of paperwork for Junpei’s transfer into Jujutsu Tech and warns, “Fine. But you two are in charge of them. Make sure that they don’t see the other students until the Sister Event, do you understand me?” Gojo salutes at the order and chimes, “You got it, boss! I promise I’ll get them into tip-top shape by the event!”
-
“Um, Gojo-sensei, are you really sure this is the way we should announce Yuuji still being alive? After all, it’s almost been two months.” Junpei asks, fixing the collar of his uniform. The white haired sorcerer pouts at the teenager’s question then whines, “Awww, Junpei, do you really think that your sensei’s idea is a bad one?”
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure Nanamin advised you against this method too.” the second year reminds the man as Yuuji hurries around the room in search of his uniform shirt. Gojo shrugs and replies, “Ahh, come on, Junpei, have a little faith in me! It’s gonna be great!”
Junpei should have known better than to have trust in Gojo’s ridiculous plan. They approach the groups of teenagers with Gojo pushing the box containing an excited Yuuji and his sensei begins handing out gifts to the Kyoto sorcerers, before turning back to his students.
Megumi and Kugisaki tilt their heads at the appearance of Junpei but before they get the chance to ask who he was, Yuuji bursts from the white box with a shout, grinning at his friends. Judging by the look on their faces, Junpei could tell that this plan had indeed not gone the way Itadori and Gojo had been hoping for.
He settles beside the panda as Megumi and Nobara continue to grill Yuuji about his death and why he had been gone if he had been alive all this time. The brown haired girl smacks at her friend’s shoulders, shouting, “Stupid, stupid, I can’t believe you let us think you were dead! I’m never forgiving you for this!”
Fushiguro begins to fill Yuuji in on his own anger, but Maki, the second year with glasses, claps her hands together and snaps, “We don’t have time for this right now. You guys can yell at him later. We need to figure out our game plan now that we have Itadori and Yoshino. So, what can you two do?”
All eyes shift to Junpei and he glances to the floor as he murmurs, “I control poison shikigami. I’ve gotten really good at controlling the dosage so I can either slow a person down or exorcise a curse completely.” Surprise spreads throughout the room and Inumaki, the Cursed Speech user, says, “Bonito flakes.”
Panda nods in agreement (though Junpei wasn’t sure what he was agreeing to) then replies, “Yeah that’s true. Itadori, what exactly can you do?” The pink haired teen turns towards his upperclassman and replies, “Oh I do hand to hand mainly.”
The second years stare at him for a moment then seem to share a silent conversation among the three of them, before Maki gives a definitive nod, instructing, “All right, it’s settled then. Itadori, you and Yoshino will take on Todo. Since you can poison people, you can slow him down and Itadori will take him completely out of the game. Nobara, you're going to take out Nishimiya. Panda, handle Mechamaru. I’ll handle Miwa and Mai. Inumaki, find the curses and kill them. Megumi, I want you on Kamo. Understand?”
Nods of agreement go around the room and they begin to disperse, only for Fushiguro and Kugisaki to call Junpei back into the room. The second year turns on his heel and Yuuji gives an inquisitive look over his shoulder, only for the older teenager to wave him on, insisting, “It’s okay, I’ll catch up.” He settles back in a chair and waits for one of the first years to begin the conversation that he’s sure they’ve been brewing over since he and Yuuji arrived today.
“How did you join Jujutsu Tech?” Megumi asks, clearly cutting to the chase. Junpei sighs, realizing that Gojo had neglected to tell the first years (and likely the second years) about how he came to join the school. He fidgets with his fingers and explains, “I came in contact with a curse who taught me the basics of cursed energy and techniques. He tried to convince me to join his ranks but Yuuji found me and convinced me to come with him. The principal and Gojo decided that since the curses killed my mom, they could help me out.”
“Why didn’t you come to training with the other second years?” Nobara asks, crossing her arms over her chest. He scratches at the back of his neck and replies, “Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure but I’m guessing it’s because Gojo and Nanamin didn’t want to make it seem like I was replacing Yuuji.”
The two nod in understanding and she begins to ask another question, only for Maki to enter the room again, demanding, “Oi, it’s time to go, you can do Q and A later!” The two first years jump to their feet and exclaim, “Right, Maki-senpai!”
Junpei truthfully isn’t expecting much from this Todo guy. Megumi explains that he’s the one who’s hair is shaped as a pineapple and he snickers at the reminder before Panda suggests, “If you’re not scared of heights, you should hide in one of the trees where you’re somewhat close to the ground but not too high. Nishimiya flies on a broom and has a hell of an eye. The longer you can stay hidden, the better it works for Itadori and in turn, us.”
He nods in understanding and as the bell goes off, he hurries to the closest tree that’s full of branches and leaves aplenty. The plan he and Yuuji had devised was that the rest of the team would separate, drawing Todo to their position. He watches from above as Todo and Itadori begin to fight hand to hand and he waits for the signal of Megumi’s wolf before he releases the poison. A howl fills his ears and he summons his shikigami, one large enough to surprise Todo but small enough to prevent attention from Nishimiya.
As he prepares to have his shikigami strike at Todo, the scenery changes and soon, Yuuji is surrounded by the rest of the Kyoto students. Junpei tenses at the sudden change in the atmosphere and realizes that this was not a fun little competition for these country people, but they seem to have murderous intent. His phone buzzes in his pocket and he pulls it out quickly, realizing that it was Megumi on the line. He hits the answer button and rushes out in a whisper, “Targets sighted. I think they’re trying to kill Yuuji.”
The first year groans, clearly calling to deliver the same news, then Maki is on the phone, ordering, “Poison them all. We’ll be there in a minute.” Junpei allows his shikigami to grow larger until the plumpness of the jellyfish bursts through the trees, revealing itself. The students whip to face him and he shouts for the shikigami to strike now.
The blue haired girl slashes at the tentacle with her blade, only for another to plant in the meat of her thigh. She stumbles with the pain of the poison and the dark haired girl, Mai, draws a gun and begins to fire at the shikigami. Junpei clasps his fingers together and presses his thumb together tight, to make the jellyfish translucent. She curses at the sudden disappearance of the shikigami and the long haired teen, Kamo, if memory serves Junpei right,  hunches over at the sharp jab of the tentacle.
Chaos continues to ensue as Maki and Megumi appear in the opening, slamming into their targets with blunt forces and other shikigami.
With a grin, Junpei realizes that this school was like no other. And he couldn’t wait to see what else it had in store for him.
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Goodbye Despair, Chapter 0: On the way to the School Trip (Part 2)
            A deathly pale girl stood atop a fractured building as she looked out at the widespread, horrific destruction of Towa City. Her elegant black dress fluttered in the breeze. The red sky was now gone, and the gray sky of dawn was blossoming over the city, the sun brilliantly shining its golden rays.
            “It truly is such a shame that it had to come to this… A full-out war between Towa City and the Future Foundation would have been much more dramatic…” The black-haired girl mused as she sipped from a teacup. Near her, a very portly teen stood tall and with his hands on his hips in slight exasperation.
            “Yeah, well… Blame it on the kids for not being more careful! Even if it was just a few lapdogs from Future Foundation, they were still Ultimates!” The boy puffed out in annoyance.
            The girl cradled her teacup on a plate. Her face was melancholic.
            “… I blame your influence.” The girl quipped, resulting in the boy reeling back in shock.
            “M-M-Meee?!”
            “If you had not been so mischievous in making that ‘Successor’ remark, Towa would not have toyed around with that girl. Instead, she made a big theatrical failure of a game, and now Future Foundation has infested this place like rodents.” The goth smiled with false cheer.
            “I don’t recall you objecting to it, Miss Ludenberg!” The boy huffed again. He clenched his fist in aggravation. “At any point, you could have made Miss Towa stop!”
            Celestia Ludenberg rolled her eyes dully.
            “It was an amusing distraction for a while, but then it got boring the more she tempted fate. Monaca was truly an annoying pest.” The goth then gave a little curtsy. “Besides which, you were in charge of the children, not I. I had the adults wrapped around my finger, and nudged them in the proper direction. The fault for this travesty lies at your feet, Yamada. You needed to be the adult, if we were to maintain our hold here. Now Kirigiri-san will be most displeased that we have lost another stronghold…”
            The otaku made several angry grunting noises as he tried to think hard about a good comeback. The war between adults and kids had been going rather smoothly, while he and Ludenberg pulled the strings behind the scenes. But still, did she have to take such a chiding tone with him?! Enoshima had entrusted the Warriors of Hope into both their care!
            “Attempting to fill Nanami with despair was bound to end in failure… You both should have seen that coming.” A voice droned behind them, causing Yamada to whirl around and Celes to slightly crane her head to look back at the lanky, long-haired figure.
            “My, my, look who’s arrived fashionably late.” Celes drawled dryly. “The Monokuma children detected your entry into the city. What were you so busy doing?”
            “We could have used your help in expelling the Foundation, Mister Kamakura…!” Yamada growled as he pointed accusingly at the pale, slightly older boy.
            Kamakura regarded the otaku like he would an ant.
            “You know my policy. This world is boring… But witnessing the conflict between hope and despair, that is truly a fascinating match to behold. A myriad of comical faux pas were made on both sides… But it appears the victor was decided for this round.”
            The Ultimate Gambler tsk’ed and looked away. Yamada was still seething in rage.
            “I will… never understand why Mister Togami and Miss Kirigiri put up with you…!”
            Kamakura arched an eyebrow curiously.
            “Oh…? You haven’t heard? The Foundation captured Kirigiri and Fujisaki a week ago. Togami is fortifying his castle for the inevitable final conflict to come.”
            Yamada released a surprised gasp of shock while even Ludenberg’s eyes widened marginally. Togami didn’t actually have a castle, of course – Celes never would have allowed it. But to hear two more of their peers had been taken down… And two key players at that. It was devastating news indeed. Togami could boss them around all he liked, but he lacked the precision and coordination that Kirigiri possessed as a strategist. Without her, the others were going to get sloppy… just like what happened here in Towa City.
            It was… getting to be the end of an era.
            “Nnrgh… But that leaves… only a handful of us left!” Yamada grumbled in frustration. “Mister Oowada is holding out… as is Miss Oogami and Miss Asahina…! But if this keeps up, Ultimate Despair will face annihilation!”
            Celes rolled her eyes in annoyance. They weren’t the only ones left, of course. But Genocider was a loose cannon, and it was only a matter of time before Ishimaru was captured. But the otaku had a point. They were experiencing too many losses. It was as if Enoshima’s death had actually marked a turning point in the war…
            … And Celes was still very pissed she hadn’t gotten to kill Enoshima herself.
            “… Wait just a second.” A thought occurred to Celes. And it wasn’t a pleasant one as she craned her neck to face Kamukura once more. “If you’re still here… That can only mean…”
            Kamukura observed the back of his right hand dully.
            “You are correct. It is that time.” The boy spoke with finality.
            Celes cursed under her breath as she went for the blade hidden in her dress.
            “I should have realized when you brought up Kirigiri…!” She hissed as she whirled her body around to face her attacker, knife drawn to defend herself. But it was much too late.
            “Yes, you should have.” Kamukura said without missing a beat. He caught her swinging arm, spun around until he was behind her, and casually disarmed her while still holding onto her arm. In the next moment, he injected some needle into her neck, and she went out like a light. Kamakura allowed her to drop to the floor, and didn’t face to turn Yamada, who had brought out his own weapon, but was caught up in what happened to Celes.
            “Miss Ludenberg…!” The otaku howled. He tried to get a shot off on Kamakura, but the boy disarmed him in a similar fashion, and the otaku collapsed as well once his own neck was injected with some kind of drug.
            The ‘Ultimate Hope’ stood over the two Despairs nonchalantly as he looked out at the ruined Towa City and the wide open sea beyond it.
            “It’s nearly time… a final battle between Hope and Despair that shall surpass all others.” The white-haired boy murmured softly.
            Normally, he would have allowed Future Foundation to capture these two on their own… But at this point, after such a resounding victory, it would have made little sense to allow these two to escape. A blade breaks more easily once it has been shattered already, and the same applies to the gambler and otaku here. They wouldn’t be able to make a comeback worthy of a rematch against the Future Foundation. Ultimate Despair was crumbling, and it was soon going to be time for their ace-in-the-hole to be played. A card that could only be played when they’re on the verge of losing…
            Kamakura fingered a photograph in his pocket without pulling it out to look at. It was a plan born from desperation, but it was not a flawless plan. Slim as it was, Hope could win against the stacked odds. Enoshima had demonstrated that all too well.
            It was still possible… for Class 78 to retrieve their lost selves.
            It was even possible… for Nagito Komaeda to return.
            Wouldn’t that that just be the Devil’s Luck?
            ~*~
            “Jeez… I forgot how annoying it was gonna be, staying on a boat with these guys.” Fuyuhiko huffed as he crossed his arms and leaned on a wall in aggravation.
            Across from him, sitting in a chair at a meeting table was his little sister, her hands gripping her skirt in her lap and her eyes glaring acidly at the tabletop.
            “I don’t get what the big deal is. Using that Hagakure bastard as an anchor was an amazing idea. We don’t need his punk ass waste of space clogging up the holding cells…” The young woman bitterly griped.
            The Ultimate Yakuza barked out a laugh.
            “Yeeeah… Too bad you forgot about the security cameras. Now Yukizome’s gonna be watching you like a hawk.”
            “You could always throw him overboard for me! Or your hitman!” Natsumi pointed out.
            “Except Yukizome said the three of us specifically aren’t allowed in that cellblock anymore. Otherwise I’d totally be onboard with that plan!” Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. “But hey, maybe if we get enough people in on it, Yukizome will ban everyone, and the fucker will starve!”
            “… I knew you were my favorite brother for a reason.”
            “I’m you only brother.”
            “Exactly!”
            Hajime sweatdropped from his seat at a different end of the meeting table. He looked up at Peko quizzically.
            “They’re not serious, right?” Hajime hoped he didn’t sound too pleading.
            Peko merely closed her eyes and released a sigh before smiling in slight amusement.
            “Hagakure tried to extort the Kuzuryu Clan in the past. It’s not a surprise they want to hang him dry.”
            “Peko, you were supposed to say ‘no!’” Hajime whined, which earned a soft chuckle from the swordswoman as the siblings continued to bicker.
            Souda was off in his own corner of the room, pulling his hat down his face and ignoring all them. Between Fujisaki really picking on him about his ‘shoddy’ work with programming the cameras, cells, and other machines on the ship, as well as being in the same cellblock when Oogami woke up and started trying to bust out, Souda was a nervous wreck with very low self-esteem at the moment. Hajime and Munakata assured the mechanic his work was top-notch as always, but it still really hurt his pride to be insulted by someone in a similar field, even if they were in Despair and probably didn’t mean every critique they said… probably…
            Nothing could be done about the scare with Oogami, though. The Ultimate Fighter really was an Ogre.
            When the door to the room opened, all eyes but Souda’s curiously turned to see who the next ones in would be. It was Mikan, accompanied by… Byakuya Togami. Or, well, someone dressed like him, even with his fat figure. The nurse was sobbing, sadly as usual…
            “I-I-I’m sorry… She wasn’t eating her meals, and we already have Asahina-san and Yamada-kun on IV drips in the infirmary!” The purple-headed woman clutched the top of her head in a panic.
            “I told you, it’s fine,” the man disguised as Togami insisted, ushering the nurse to a chair near Hajime. “Munakata had taken Togami for an interrogation anyway, so it was easy enough to order Fukawa to eat. We knew this would happen based off the information we had on her, so I came prepared. It wasn’t a big deal, really.”
            The Imposter was having little success in stifling the nurse’s wails, but everyone had a better idea of what set her off this time. Episodes like these were certainly bound to happen, since specific members of Ultimate Despair had vowed to starve themselves for the Despair that would bring. Even if Fukawa wasn’t quite like the rest of her classmates – possessing the same glowing red eyes and obsession with Despair – she still listened to whatever Togami ordered her to do. And because she trailed after him like a mutt, Togami had cruelly taken advantage of her lapdog nature. Her other personality, Genocider, was a full-fledged Remnant of Despair like the rest of her class, but she only became a problem when Fukawa… sneezed, triggering the change in personality. Reasoning with Genocider was impossible, so they were thankful for an easy way to deal with her, even if it was weird as hell.
            Not that the other Remnants were any easier to convince to let go of their debilitating habits.
            “It’ll be fine, Mikan!” Hajime promised as he laid a hand on her shoulder consolingly. “We only have to put up with this for a little longer. Once we reach Jabberwock, we just have to put them in the Neo World Program. Hopefully then, they’ll revert to their former selves, and we’ll be able to help them after that.”
            It was a bit like chanting a prayer at this point, but everyone in the room was used to saying or hearing that by now. They simply needed that constant reminder to make the journey at sea bearable.
            “I’m not so sure about that…” Everyone turned to the door once again as Kyosuke Munakata strode in with a grim expression. “Gekkogahara reported in just a few minutes ago, and said they might not have the program ready by the time we reach our destination. They’re doing everything in their power, but it’s just not looking realistic at this point that they’ll be able to make it run smoothly in time.”
            “S-So what are you saying?” Souda stuttered out nervously. He seemed to have an idea of the situation, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
            “He’s saying we may need to look after the Remnants for a little longer…” The Imposter muttered quietly, but factually. “Or, worst case scenario, we’ll have to rehabilitate them without the program.”
            “Are you kidding meee?!” Kazuichi howled, making a frightened expression. Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth and stared down at the floor.
            “Tch. I wish he was…”
            Munakata closed his eyes solemnly.
            “I called Tengan, and he’ll be sending reinforcements in a few days. This will include Nidai and Owari, as well as Koizumi and Mioda.” They would need their exceptional eyes and ears in the event an incident broke out on the island. Thankfully, security cameras and lodgings were in place, but it wasn’t going to be easy to keep an eye on the Remnants in such an unsecure place. Anything could go wrong, especially with exceptionally talented prisoners as the Remnants of Despair. Why, Aoi Asahina on her own was going to need to be isolated from the ocean as much as possible.
            Especially around the boats… She had been an absolute menace at sea, sinking vessels indiscriminately.
            “So what’s the deal with Togami?” Natsumi brought up all of a sudden, causing everyone to tune in again. “You’ve been giving him the third degree a lot.”
            “I am hoping to secure a tentative truce with him.” Munakata uneasily replied. “I do not trust him, but if we can get even one of their leaders to keep the rest in line, our stay on Jabberwock will hopefully be less of a burden.”
            The answer they received resulted in many widening their eyes in shock, and a few skeptical cries from the Kuzuryu siblings.
            “What exactly are you negotiating?!” Fuyuhiko exclaimed after a few minutes of people talking in a panic.
            “Nothing outrageous.” Munakata replied with a stony face, looking Kuzuryu in the eye and reminding the yakuza that he was in charge. “We already planned to let the Remnants stay in the lodgings for however long it takes to get the program up and running, but Togami has… demanded that they be allowed access to certain possessions and things. They will not be allowed weapons, but to a degree it will be as if they are ‘guests’ while staying with us on the island.”
            Natsumi scoffed loudly.
            “So, we’re gonna let ‘em live comfy while we bust our asses to get them rehabilitated?” The young girl accused.
            “It’s better than restricting them completely,” Munakata countered. “If we allow them no comforts, they will eventually try to stage a mutiny, as Oogami has demonstrated by trying to break out of her cell. But if they feel less like prisoners, then they will feel less inclined to escape the island, no matter how slightly. Again, they will not be given materials that they can harm us, themselves, or the outside world – Fujisaki will not be given a laptop that has Wi-Fi capabilities, nor will Oowada be given a motorcycle. We will listen to what they want, within reason, and be generous hosts. In return, Togami will assert his authority and keep everyone relatively in line.”
            Silence permeated the room after that. Some of them didn’t like this turn of events, but it was sounding like this was their only safe option. The alternative would be to run themselves ragged in restricting everything the Remnants did, and all the Remnants would have to do is wait them out, bide their time. They couldn’t afford to do that; the world would be in danger yet again if this turned into a battle of attrition.
            “Why approach Togami?” Hajime said after a while, earning a look from Munakata. “Kirigiri seems like she’d be more reasonable to negotiate with… Heck, Kamakura could physically overpower any of them – even Oogami.”
            Fuyuhiko hissed as he raked a hand through his short hair.
            “Kirigiri might be more ‘reasonable,’ but she’s helluva lot harder to read.” The yakuza groused. “Any ‘harmless’ thing she asks for could be deadly, or it could be a red herring to throw us off. I trust her way less than Togami.”
            For more reasons than one.
            “And as for Kamakura, we don’t know his objectives.” Munakata explained with a thoughtful frown. “He is the only Remnant to have turned himself in, but this could all be a ploy to release everyone and deal a crippling blow to the Foundation. It is much harder to put faith in a man who has the power to do anything, but did nothing to stem the war and bloodshed.”
            Hajime was forced to admit, they had more than a few good points. Togami was narcissistic, arrogant, and greedy, but at least they could read him, somewhat.
            “What do we do now?” The Imposter asked the question that was on all their minds as he crossed his arms. Munakata mirrored him.
            “Teruteru, Tanaka, and Yukizome are feeding the last of the Remnants, so lunch is about over. We’re two days out from the island, so not much longer to go. Just keep monitoring them, and report anything suspicious. I will go over the procedures to disembark, once we reach Jabberwock. Just stay vigilant – we will make it through this.”
            With all of that explained, Munakata strode out of the room, leaving the contemplative members of Class 77 to their thoughts.
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