A/N: 11K Words
Finally back.
***
The frozen cold of the tundra pelted Megumi on the back, making him shift uncomfortably. Endless whites blanketed the field in a way that he found to be disturbing, especially with the countless corpses that laid underneath them. It was practically their bed, set for an eternal rest where they would never glance upwards to see the stars again. How beautiful the sight was, but the haunting knowledge of knowing that their forbidden bodies now laid under the sheets of forgotten time would forever afflict him.
He wondered what it would be like to touch and experience the life of a city once more. Delving through the decrepitness of Primavera was grueling enough, going through these tundras was already a pain, and Lungmen... it was not a good experience. So, he sat there, amongst countless corpses that he had created with a bloody technique granted only by the hands of the most depraved. Shrine, a common place of prayer and offerings given to a divine entity that the humans had conjured to be worthy of their worship.
How ironic, that it was used for the most despicable acts that Jujutsu Society would ever come to know. Although it certainly wasn't the worst that humanity could muster, it was definitely up there. What the worst humanity could ever bring up to their murky and drenched hands was already presented toward him in the sights of the Ursus tundras. A forgotten piece of history it would become, and that fact made the Jujutsu Sorcerer have second thoughts of having ever chosen this place. Even the concept of Siracusa was looking more like a hearty place than... whatever this was.
To let these crimes toward humanity come to pass... that was all that the black-haired man could do. Well, for the ones he couldn't see or ones that he wasn't present for, there was nothing that he could do to stop them. Pressing forward and moving inch by inch the path that had been given to him by the cosmic hands of Fate would forever be the only thing he could choose. His sister, toiled and thrown around by those hands had proven that fact, and everything else down the line had continued to affirm what he knew.
A chilly breath entered his throat, but it was never a bother. Everytime he breathed in the air of the tundras, it continued to remind him of the countless deaths that had been caused, by both its inhabitants, and by his own hands. Never would he have imagined, back at the comforting clutches of his home, that gallons upon gallons of blood would be drenched in his hands. It was to the point where the black-haired man wouldn't be surprised if it filled up a hundred pool's worth. What made it worse was that killing had become second-nature to him. It wasn't even the circumstances that pushed him to such a length, but every. Single. Option. That he had chosen always led to split skulls and dismemberment, leaving corpses to be left as nothing but mistakable pillows.
The more he sat atop this lonely mountain, the more that he figured that the world around him was starting to fade. Maybe a small rest on this plane of existence wasn't too bad, to let his body finally lay itself after all the trials and tribulations thrown his way. How lovely that thought was, but that was all it was going to be relegated to. A thought, a mere conception that would never come to play. Across the blizzards raging off in the distance—as far as the eye can see—the twisted eyes of his could see the tantalizing blisters and patterns produced by it. Reaching his hands out, he desired to see what it would be like to fall into one of them, to let his body freeze under the endless snow.
There was a story off in the distance that he didn't know, that he didn't experience. There were also stories aplenty of higher beings reigning over the earthy orb just finding their place in the endless void of space, and there were many concepts unexplored in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery. Many theories and concepts untested, infinite interpretations for the mind to comprehend and use, and yet he had only scratched the surface of all of them. No... maybe it was more accurate to say that only the dust had been blown off from the surface, as no dent had truly been made.
The universe was vast.
"...Megumi."
Talulah, he knew that woman. Although he couldn't say he knew her personally, they were well enough to be called acquaintances with each other. The clash of blades, and the ripping of flesh. How could he have ever forgotten such a feeling?
"Talulah." Megumi stared away from the sights that his eyes had zoomed into. It was a near tunnel vision-like trance that he had broken out of, letting his vision completely blur and tear away from it. "I have a question to ask you. It's a more personal one, and it's something that I've been needing to get off my chest."
The Draco halted in her steps just as she was about to approach him. Her beautiful face was registered by the black-haired man, a fair one made of the finest porcelain that human skin could ever accomplish. She opened her mouth for a confused response, "yes...?"
"I'm not feeling so well. Can I beat you up?" Megumi replied without a single pause, his eyes still lacking any sort of reflective light in them. It was only then did the stupidity of his words truly wrap around his brain, did he feel his teeth pressing against each other in a strange feeling. One where it felt like he had just downed an entire kettle's worth of boiling water.
"What?" Talulah let out an exasperated breath, nearly recoiling from the sheer force that his words had given out. It wouldn't be accurate to say that her expression had just become as flustered as a certain blue-haired Lung that the black-haired man was somewhat familiar with, "w-what?!"
"I mean..." Megumi bit his lips at that moment, realizing the lapse of the "actual" message that he wished to give to the woman. "Can I spar with you?" He corrected his words toward what he "truly" wanted to say.
Talulah glared at him, hand grasping at the handle of her weapon. However, her memories had a flashback to the damage he had inflicted on her, and the crazed expression he would bear while laying upon what was essentially a barrage of clobbering attacks. "Y-you...! What kind of response is that!" Her hand strayed away, also remembering the time he had taken down two of those Facerending Liches, standing in front of the Divine General which heeded his every command.
"My own response...?" Megumi raised an eyebrow, not missing the small movements of the dragon lady. It would be a cute reaction for anybody else, but the black-haired man had not found amusement nor attraction toward it, he never had such feelings in the first place. "Is there something wrong?"
"Do you just ask somebody if you can beat them up?" Talulah looked at him as if he had grown a second head, while the rest of her words started to die out in her throat. The way his eyes looked, as if there was nothing but the empty void down beneath. She couldn't respond to it properly. "I... I don't get it?"
"I just felt like getting it off my chest, my apologies." The amount of blood spilled by his hands was starting to leak into his own skin and flesh, entering deep enough where even his bone marrow wasn't safe. "It looks like my brain isn't screwed on properly. No offense to you with the previous statements."
"No, no... you just... ugh... I have no words," Talulah attempted to get her words right, but gave up. Giving inspirational speeches and plans toward Reunion was far easier than this, making the Draco remind herself just how difficult this black-haired man was. "I keep being reminded... how little I know you..." her voice turned into a whisper while she walked toward him, taking a seat by the rock he was at. Her gaze hadn't met his, only staring off into the countless horizons in front of them, aware of the fields of corpses which aligned the land's intricate floors.
"...Do you know what it is like to be far from home?" Megumi suddenly asked, feeling his gaze turn upwards. The skies were empty, not a single speck of celestial dust to be seen, and neither was there any light for their merciless existence to grant him.
"To be far away from home?" Talulah said, letting her voice draw out slightly. The word home, she didn't know what to make of it, ever since she had been...
"Yes, it's lonely, isn't it?" Megumi placed his right arm on his bent knee, continuing to survey the fortitude of darkness up above. "To be gone from a home that you had enjoyed so much."
"Well... if you put it that way, anybody would feel the same, especially if it's beyond their power. Amongst all the people I've met, a lot of them... have had scenarios far beyond what they were capable of, and all they could do was weep at the tragedy that Terra threw their way." Talulah could feel the sudden whiplash from earlier disappearing. Perhaps she was starting to understand something from this man.
"That's a great response." Megumi broke his gaze away after he closed his eyes, letting the image of the endless universe burn itself into his head. "I can see why all of Reunion adores you, why they view you as their leader."
"Ah... thank you," Talulah replied with slight shock, having not heard a genuine compliment such as that from him. His voice still carried no emotion, but even the neutrality of it... possessed some tune which she could appreciate. So, she spoke again, "I don't particularly have a home that... that... I lost..."
"There was hesitation near the end," Megumi pointed out with his words.
Talulah closed her eyes herself, glancing away slightly before speaking "...please, don't delve too deeply into it."
"Sorry," Megumi let his eyes slightly open to peer at the world once more, letting out a faint apology toward pushing her boundaries.
"It's fine," Talulah shook her head, "you're a lot more aloof today than usual."
"I'd expected you to say that I was more responsive today than anything else." Megumi let out a hum, more in tone with confusion than anything.
"Your tone has lost all of its vigor, you'd talk with a tinge more passion before," Talulah turned her neck so she faced him, but he hadn't reciprocated the response toward her.
"You've been paying attention?" Megumi inquired.
"Your attitude has also fallen into the dumps, completely so, it's not that hard to tell." Talulah stood up on the snow, letting out only a small huff of strain when her feet planted on the all-encompassing pale ground. A crunching sound was heard.
"You remind me of somebody, really, you do." His thoughts came to somewhere else, a different image once more.
"You've also said that before. When was it...? When it was a Lung? Hah~ this is getting nowhere." Talulah let her frustration reign for as brief as the passing days had been.
"Why did you come here, then?" Megumi shook his head, he hadn't been comparing her to the blue-haired Lung he once knew.
"Laurentina... was worried about you. As much as she does not want to admit it, she really has been." Talulah glanced off to a faraway distance, toward where the Reunion Settlement was located. Despite the length and time it would take to travel on foot, for superhumans like them, it would at most take a few minutes.
"That's good to know," Megumi kept his face still away from her while she stood behind him on foot, a small smile finding its way on his lips.
"I don't think she'd take your despondency with much comfort...?" Talulah glanced back toward his back. His body looked like it belonged in the endless snow, as if the temperature in his body was one with it.
"She'd be used to it."
Silence followed after. Talulah continued to stare at his back with eyes that seemed to peer through him, yet it saw nothing inside. The more she delved on the subject of understanding this black-haired man, the more confused she had become. Patriot was more difficult to get to, but that was an age old Wendigo who was written as ink even in Ursus' stories and folktales. It had taken her years to get to know him any better, to fully understand where his views lay, and eventually see eye to eye. To a certain extent. For somebody such as Fushiguro Megumi, even if he were less of a complicated individual, the fact remains that it would be unsightly of her to push boundaries any further. The fact was... even she was afraid that it would irritate the man to a degree that was unrecoverable.
Maybe someday... they could see eye to eye. So then, all she could do was let out a small, sorrowful sigh, and pray that they met on better terms next time in the future. Any time, really, and see where they had ended up.
"...Have you given up?" Talulah initiated once more, for the last time she could today. Her confidence regarding him was starting to run on fumes.
"Given up on what?"
"Your eyes don't look natural, in fact, you look soulless. That isn't the look of somebody who has a goal, or any aspirations to strive for. So... if you have something you want to get off your chest... you could tell me."
"..." Silence, that was all that continued to pervade him. There was not a single utterance that could be made to get him out of this situation, nor would there be any to lie to himself with. It was utterly humiliating—in a different aspect. It was a mental battle for himself, to come to grips of who he really was now.
He was a Curse.
"Talulah... I really do hope I meet you again," Megumi let it out, the trouble he felt in his heart, "I can't help but feel as if I've found something new, being with Reunion." He admitted it, despite the distance drawn between the two and the brief conversations they had with each other, he could muster those words with every fiber of his being.
Talulah could feel a newfound sensation overtake her. The clenching claws of sorrow grasping at the muscles of her heart had been loosened ever so slightly, leaving her in an almost slack jaw expression. "That's..." the million ton weights pressing down on her shoulders were lifted "...oh... I never would have thought you'd say that." A small chuckle left her rosy lips.
"I mean it," Megumi rolled his eyes with some tinge of humor, "I'll be sure to tell FrostNova the same thing."
"I'm glad to hear that," Talulah took the moment to walk up to the black-haired man, before presenting the palm of her right hand toward him with a smile, "I hope we meet again, too."
Megumi clasped his hand with hers, and shook it.
***
There was usually nothing to look out for when roaming the forests. It was always the same thing that he was used to, either prowling animals looking for a meal in these lands frozen in time, or even very rarely, soldiers who didn't know any better; roaming a place that no longer welcomed them. For their actions and crimes against the value of humanity that the world held loosely at their heart... his world held loosely at their heart, Fushiguro Megumi would always find his hand straying toward them. A merciless, and bloody hand.
The specks of frozen rain glided softly through the air, swirling all around as they became one with their brethren, who were all glued to the ground as cold and humid white paste. Decayed oaks started to fill his nose with an almost rancid smell, but also a brief scented undertone of cooked bark, strangely enough. They all brought life to a place that would be lost from such a thing, just as he had been lost from his home. It was strange, how nostalgic the field had become to him, bringing forth a memory of Tokyo's everwinter tide. Although, maybe his memory was betraying him, as there was less snow in Tokyo than Sendai.
...They also certainly did not possess black snow. The falling flakes that were unnatural and foreign to this world had already told him of an unnatural presence invading the land which he stood upon. It no longer belonged to nature or the world itself, for the conquering Dominion of what could only be called a blasphemer had overtaken it. Wrought in an iron-fisted grasp, there was nothing for mother nature to do, other than to let her child go. What a strange sight it was, a familiar one at that too.
"I was wondering when another one of you would be sent..." Megumi stared across the seemingly eternal forest, where black fog started to creep up on him. However, his gaze continued to pierce through all obstructions before him, shattering the illusion that had dared to rear its fangs in his direction. There was a skull off in the distance, a demented and rotten one which held a red eye in its empty sockets. As deep as the abyss, the all-encompassing miasma had kept their figure cloaked—leaving only the burning light to bore through.
A hissing sound was heard, before the fully armored behemoth made themselves known, "Higashinese..." There was a faint trace of venom between the teeth which had uttered the words, as they halted in their steps. About 20 paces away from the target they had met, the world's shadows had encroached on their path completely. No longer did the purity of the snow show itself as a phenomena.
"An Emperor's Blade, I take it there are more with you?" Megumi kept his back straight, his arms resting by his side and cloaking his arms. A frigid wind was blown from an immaterial mouth, leaving a cascading force of power to pass through the scenery. It toyed with the hems of his haori, and the locks of his hair.
"Irrelevant," another hiss left through the mask of theirs, painting an inhuman visage for the entire world to see, "you are aware of your actions, and I postulate any relevance you take upon the matter is nil."
"And why do you assume so?" Megumi stared at their weapon sheathed by their side. The red curved blade was one that he had the displeasure of facing down once before. It drew at his blood with every swing, tearing off his skin and flesh alike with no discrimination, "if you had wanted to kill me you would have brought more of yourself than just one."
"You've already confirmed my clause," the Emperor's Blade declared, "Ursus... the land itself, shall harbor its malice against you, single-handedly, Higashinese. Though you may have shattered its two Dominions, a hundred more will replace them without further consequence."
"Then why? Why haven't you sent ten more to kill me?" Megumi asked with a look of disgust. He sensed no other presence aside from them, even after having enhanced and expanded his senses to mountains wide. "Your words seemingly contradict your actions."
Their respirator released a toxic breath once more, "so what if a parasite finds its way into the log of a tree? Soon enough, it shall be pecked out soon enough, by a battalion or a hundred birds. Your years are numbered, Higashinese, not only in the world of Ursus, but all of Terra."
"So you'll hunt me down, until the ends of the earth?" Megumi's expression became sour. He closed his eyes in order to let the silence enter his mind, before the shadows gathered around him, raising a protective arm against his small form—compared to the Facerending Lich. Instead, the Dharmachakra above his head glowed, lifting upwards into an alien hover, before an apparition formed behind him. Colossal and heavenly, was the protector of the healer, "fine then. I'll be waiting." A declaration frosted by the frozen clock of winter echoed forth, thrumming across the horizon.
"...Your days, months, and years—are all numbered. We accept your declaration, and we too, shall be waiting." A vicious breath was heard, as their silhouette became nothing but a distorted blur. It was a spectral sight, one that lacked the ethereality that would identify any sort of figure underneath it. No hand could lay a tangible hand on such a grotesque sight, where death reeked at every step. At that moment, they were gone, without a single trace in the wind. The veil was lifted.
Megumi closed his eyes and took in a harsh breath, taking in the natural air of the world once more. He had come to a morbid consensus toward what he had experienced that single day, one that would keep a portion of his periphery alert at all times. Glancing back at the shadow lingering right behind him, the Jujutsu Sorcerer could feel the weapon he had stored inside, the one that he had claimed as a medallion of his efforts against those monsters he had faced before. A crimson blade reeking of blood, forged and altered by means that should have been inaccessible to humans.
...He wanted to find a use for it, but the ugliness disgusted him. One day... maybe he would become depraved enough to wield it without regrets.
***
"Do you think the whims of Fate can be changed?" A question rang out from the towering bastion of the Infected, a body which held legends that the black-haired man had never seen before. Only through word of mouth and stories told amongst the members of Reunion, could a small image scraped together from torn pieces be made of the Last Wendigo in front of him. Truly, it was like staring at Gojo Satoru—if his disposition consistently matched the labels placed upon him.
"...The whims of Fate?" Megumi turned from the snowy cliff he was gazing upon to glance at Patriot, who was standing beside him. The cloth attached to his arm billowed haplessly in the air, as if the currents of the unceasing winter were the ones to direct its course with its cruel indifference. His gaze was off somewhere, the gleaming ruby underneath the rusted ivory of that mask staring off a million miles. "What do you... mean?" His voice came out tired, exhausted. No longer did he stand tall with a posture that would match
"The waves carry your body across a raging storm, spanning all across these lands. From Ursus, to Kazimierz, to Leithanien—nowhere is truly away from its boundless grasp." Patriot's posture and stance did not change, while Fushiguro Megumi continued to shift his facial expressions in an attempt to make his head wrap around the words the Wendigo was speaking. "Tell me, do you see yourself as a Slave of Fate? A hapless boy in a vast world where your existence would one day be snuffed out as an ember would in an eternal winter?"
"...Hah, a slave...?" Megumi could feel himself running the word of "Fate" constantly in his mind. It was as if he were on a hamster wheel, constantly turning with each jog of his undying legs, the stomps and the tireless jagged movements—all covering absolutely no distance. "A clown would be more fitting," he openly admitted toward the other man, his eyes turning to meet where he was gazing off to. The Sorcerer... could not see it.
"Have you ever... seen the willow trees of the north?" Patriot abruptly asked out, his words acting as a steel hammer slamming against an age-old anvil. "The flowing leaves that look as if they were a waterfall, blowing wherever the unheeding gale brings it, all but naught stopping their destined path." The Wendigo's eyes peered into the stars up above, each shimmering light baking a calm radiance that he could just barely read.
"...I haven't, but I can imagine it." Megumi closed his eyes after exhaling, seeing the multitude of leaves cascading downwards in a way that looked more liquid than solid. The unblemished shine of their textured leaves draped in the comfort of snow was at the very forefront, with their entire being held up by the greying textures of oak. Then, there was the gale as described, savagely unleashing its breath across the lands, picking up snow and shifting leaves alike—all forming into a twisted storm that knew nothing but temperance.
"Each of the leaves are helpless, each of them will soon be torn apart, and each of them will soon fall. All under the course of the wind, with nothing but their bare existence fighting against the whims of a power far beyond their reach." Patriot's voice was almost like a steady baritone, echoing across the solitude of his arm and mask, "yet the base stands strong. The ageless wood standing against the current, holding up all the weight of the leaves."
...Megumi listened in silence, taking in the imagery of the trees. No longer was his focus on the helpless leaves being thrown across by the path of the wind dictating wherever they went like a tyrant, but the steady and mighty wood which took it head on—without moving a single inch. It kept the leaves in place, so that they would not be fully blown away and off to some carpet of the night, where terrors would never end.
"I shall bestow you no title, I shall grant you naught a purpose that isn't your own, that is your own decision. Fushiguro Megumi... the "Clown of Fate," as you declared yourself, what will be your choice?"
...He wished he could say.
He wished he could speak with conviction.
He wished he was the steady oak.
He wished he could have turned back time.
He wished he could have changed everything.
Yet nothing came out of his torn throat.
***
Megumi stared blankly at the red sheathed blade in his hands. It felt like it was made of flesh and gore, cobbled together to form a slimy existence that almost made him retch from just its appearance. Even then, being drenched in humanity's horrors and negative emotions had made the experience much more bearable, like a perfume attached to a stinking body reeking of tastelessness. Although it may cover up the ugliness just as his experience had, it would never truly rid of the feeling that came over him.
Across in another room was the bathroom, the woman cast from the stars of his dreams taking a shower. The ebb and flow of water that echoed across and pierced through the confines of the walls, entering his ears with each drop. It was a song that hummed toward him, dedicated to a home that was once long since lost, and one long since strived for. He could feel his hearts' strings be struck by the melody, one mixed in with the constant droplets of water. There was love he held for what was long lost, and it was only more of a searing burn with how much more he came to appreciate the past when it had come to pass. Buried forever in a casket underneath mounds of nature's soil.
He imagined it, he dreamed it, of a time and existence where he could be with them once more. Where he hadn't been brought to this world by powers beyond his very comprehension—if there even existed such powers in the first place. It hurt, like a blade stabbing ever so slowly into his flesh, making way through his veins and muscles, before it bore through his entire body. The taste of metallic blood, a familiar meal upon his taste buds that had now become redundant and worthless—was ever present in the immaterial landscape of a world only theorized and seen by a special few.
The door clicked open, steam from the other room becoming an invasive species as it entered the next, to the living room, and then to the bedroom. There was a faint rustling sound as a woman with fair skin came out, where jade itself became incomparable to it. Her eyes were closed while she had a pristine cover draped across her body that possessed soft bristles of fur. There was another one wiping down the flawless luster which draped downwards like a tapestry of divinity. When her eyes opened, they revealed a crimson light which would have any man falling deep into its spiralling ichor.
"Princess?" Laurentina softly called out while analyzing the blade nestled on the black-haired man's lap, immediately making sense of what the weapon was, "ah, you actually robbed some of those miasma-spilling Casters' weapons? Well, I would have expected as much." She let out a humorous breath when looking at him and what was held in his hands, "do you have an appreciation for blades?"
Megumi watched her dry her hair, before shifting his attention back to the weapon, "as long as it's useful for aiding in combat... then a weapon's a weapon alright." He spoke his rather bland philosophy in regards to the blades forged for the need of war and battle, viewing it as nothing more than a means to an end. There was no art that he could see in it, nor could he see one in bloodshed either—was—of course, because ever since that time, there was no limitation to the appreciation of what he saw in it now.
"Hm... you could have a more inspired view than that," Laurentina continued to dry her hair with the pristine towel, staying away from the bedsheets and the black-haired man so she would not let the water splash on him, "ah, forget that then. Those bathtubs and showers are far too small for my liking. But I guess I'll have to make due with them." She chirped out those small words, before running the towel through the rest of the volume her hair took up.
"Have you gotten used to it?" Megumi stored the crimson blade back into his abyssal puddle, hardly feeling the increased weight due to the many times he had already experienced the pressure of the many weapons stored in his Endless Well of Shadows. "The small showers, I mean. I don't suffer through those problems as you do, so I wouldn't know." He couldn't imagine complaining about what their purpose was for. But maybe the Abyssal Hunter in front of him was more used to the vast expanse of the oceanic tides.
"It's fine," Laurentina finished drying her hair, placing her hand on a large clump of the strands, stretching it out in front of her body, "you're quite astute in your assumptions, I have already gotten acclimated to the standards of you land-dwellers, Princess." She let the white strands of fabric settle down, the soft and still moist sensation draped across the towel that was wrapped around her unblemished skin, "say, would you want to comb my hair? The last time somebody had done it... was my Captain. I have some news to present to you, too." The Aegir called out to the black-haired man, moving to grab a comb placed on the many stacked cabinets.
"Huh...? Sure," Megumi replied, taking off the black haori, as it was unnecessary for when he had decided to stake his consciousness for the night, "what news do you have?" He glanced toward the woman who was approaching him with majestic steps. It was as if beauty was encompassing her every being, even in the twisted sense whenever he saw her in combat. The feeling was the same when the strain of battle came upon him, wherein the predatory shark bore her amused teeth toward him at its peak. 'We haven't sparred in a long time...'
"Well, there is something lurking beneath this unslumbering city..." Laurentina drawled out, handing him the comb which she held on her hands, before setting down while crossing her legs. The moment the black-haired man started touching her hand and then moving it, was the moment a sense of relief and satisfaction took over her "...can you guess what it is? Oh, the expression on your face tells me you don't want to make a guess," she let out a small chuckle while speaking.
"...You're not even looking at my expression?" Megumi said with tired eyes, but a hint of mirth was in correspondence to the shark lady's own. "Nevermind, you could probably see my expression with your advanced senses, huh?" A small sound of affirmation was met after his words, prompting him to continue on, "so, let me guess? There are secrets hidden deep beneath this bustling city that the public are unaware of?"
"I'm not exactly sure whether they are aware of it or not..." Laurentina pressed her index finger against her lower lip, "but I'm sure you already know the implications of what I'm talking about? It is quite an unseemly sight to be presented with, all things considered." She remembered it, the scent of aching structures and decrepit rocks, mixed in with the dirtied bodies of those who stood in its bowels. "It was a vast tunnel, like I was moving through many intestines left to rot in somebody's own body—the people residing there were... just as I am, an Infected." The Abyssal Hunter closed her eyes while recalling the sequence. "Then a child so bright, bearing horse ears came to me... or rather, I came to her myself. She didn't fit the environment with how bright and dreamy she was—made it all the more difficult for me to deny any of her requests."
"...A hidden slum?" Megumi could feel his tongue becoming more bitter when running the comb through Laurentina's lustrous hair, which was softer than anything he had ever touched. Barring Gojo Satoru's hair whenever the eccentric man would lean his head toward him in a funny way, "of course. I would have expected much from a city such as this... but hidden beneath this city? That's a strange thing to hear." He was reminded of Lungmen once more, but their slums weren't exactly so... secretive, per se.
"Well, it's just speculation, but there were two more things that had completely caught my interest, like a hook." She remembered the way Gladiia would reel in the Seaborn and absolutely clobber them—elegantly of course—with her massive longsword-esque lance. "First, were the very lightly armored men, who look like they don't possess armor, called the "Armorless Union" as I have come to know them, looking to slaughter the poor inhabitants underneath."
"Excuse me?" Megumi could feel his expression scrunching up when hearing that, "the Armorless Union...? Looking to slaughter a bunch of slum dwellers? Why is that so?" The Sorcerer could feel his disgust piling up, like the bile in one's stomach when they want to throw up. He had seen enough sights to push the feeling down however, not giving it much of a response or reaction.
"Yes, that was their goal, I questioned them quite well, if I do say so myself," Laurentina flashed her toothy grin toward Megumi when turning around, her beautiful expression giving off a small sadistic undertone. It didn't bother him at all, so she hummed in acknowledgement and continued on, "looks like they were cleaning up some of the shame of the K.G.C.C., the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce. Though their lips were sealed quite tight, I was able to unzip them flawlessly," she continued on.
"Uh-huh..." Megumi listened in, keeping note of what he had heard. K.G.C.C., the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce, the group of individual companies banding together who practically controlled every single aspect of Kazimierz's economic system and market system. He had remembered hearing some of their influence in the Kazimierz Major from Viviana, how some people in it would sponsor knights for their own profit... but hearing... whatever the hell this was...? Seriously?
"Seems to me that more are going to be stationed underneath Kawalerielki tomorrow," Laurentina threw in her own two cents on the matter, "oh, and I may or may not have promised the aforementioned Kuranta child that I would bring a beautiful Princess with me next time we meet."
"Eh?" Megumi continued to comb the strands of her hair, before his expression shifted to one of stained confusion. "Could you repeat that...?" He asked the white-haired woman once more. 'She told a Kuranta child... that she would bring a "Princess" with her... there's no way—no, what am I even thinking, of course she means me.' Why had he been in such denial? It didn't make much sense to him.
"Why, yes, the Princess I'm referring to is you, who else?" As if she had read his mind, Laurentina spoke with an affirmative tone, "my apologies if it's an inconvenience to you, but the child just seemed so dreamy eyed when thinking of a dashing Princess such as yourself, you wouldn't want to disappoint her, now would you?" She continued on with a joking tone.
"Well..." Megumi sighed, "I had already decided to check out the place myself when hearing your words..." the notion that a commercial company was hiring these Armorless Union grunts to clear out the slums, just didn't sit well with him "...so I might as well stop by and see what you're talking about, right? Along with meeting this Kuranta kid you're talking about." Honestly, what was he expecting? That a country like this would be all sunshine and rainbows? The hope of encountering one such as that was already an impossibility back at home... but the already low standard he set for Kazimierz had dropped more than he would have guessed.
"Now... for the second part?" Laurentina asked out as a question, but promptly answered it for herself, "I may have found one of my kind—actually, I have located one of my kind on dry land too, do you want to hear more?" A lace of excitement came across her tongue while she spoke, the swaying of her body becoming more giddy than even what Fushiguro Megumi was used to. "Ah, what is it with me and acting rhetorical questions? Hehe~ her name's Skadi, a member of the Third Company."
The black-haired man listened with vested silence, registering every single word that she spoke to her. Even if it was just a hint, the woman in front of him had a taste of home, one that she had been sorely lacking—and one that he could understand so well. The purpose that he had been denying her while she travelled with him... it could be fulfilled soon, and he was happy for her. So, furthermore in his solidarity, he listened to her words.
"I remember her face... not that clearly, though. But the name, the name is just oh—so familiar. Skadi of the Third Company, an aloof woman who would tear down Seaborn with each swing of her cold weapon, desolating those dastardly beasts in a form lacking some art, but one I could wholly see the beauty in..." Laurentina continued to speak of the woman as if it were some sort of fable, "I heard from those who were gossiping of her feats on dry land, and had come to question them myself. Of course, I decided not to be as macabre as my previous methods, as they were quite cooperative. But that's besides the point, that Skadi had been in recent contact with a pharmaceutical company called "Rhodes Island," stationed somewhere close by the outskirts of Rim Billiton and Laterano..."
Megumi continued to listen in silence, letting the words pervade every single part of his mind. He could hear it, the excitement in the Abyssal Hunter's voice, the Aegir who had finally had a grasp of her home, and the Laurentina who was so eager to see it once more. There was no doubt about it, he couldn't deny her of her wishes, and the selfish part of himself didn't want her to live a life where her home was forever out of reach. For himself... he would still be searching, endlessly for any method to go back home.
...For the rest of the night, he slept with bated breaths.
***
Megumi could feel Laurentina hug him from behind, his eyes having just opened from the dreamscape he had found himself in. Well, there was a dreamscape in the first place, as all of what his dreams consisted of today was nothing but an endless abyss. Thankfully, they weren't filled with eyes or laughter like all the other times he had to experience it. At times, he would find the white-haired woman grasp at him tighter, which would wake up in the clutches of the midnight absence of light.
Her squirms—most likely a nightmare under an operating table based on the context—were felt behind his back. All he could do was stare on in silence while she continued to shift, burying her face deeper into his back. It was the first time he had seen Laurentina like this, especially when they shared the same bed. Not being the best person to seek comfort under, all he could do was slowly turn around somehow and pat her on the back of the head, while she buried herself once more into his chest.
It was... a strange feeling, one he couldn't even describe with words how it felt. But seeing how he was able to comfort her and make the Aegir stop twisting and turning in the bed, left a sort of satisfaction developing in his chest. He hadn't wished to see the indomitable woman who could pelt him with her choice of language in such a state, so any turn back to normalcy brought him further comfort. So, while the morning sun bled through the clear crystal of the window by the hotel room, did he stay in this silence just for a moment of his time.
***
Pawel fiddled the communications device in his hand nervously. He stood in his room after having let the Armorless Union troops do whatever the hell they wanted in order to complete the mission... but he hadn't heard from them in a long while. It was to the point where gallons of sweat were practically forming at his forehead, staining every inch of his tail. The more he delved on the subject—which was the only thing at the forefront of his mind—the more a mauling sensation of his brain against a cheese grater was felt.
It was at the moment when his device finally rang with a familiar hum that he knew to listen out to, that he frantically clicked the button needed to turn it on and speak, "hello?! Squad One and Squad Two! Are you there?! What's the status—" however, his words would immediately be cut off with an interrupting voice.
"My... Pawel is it?" The voice of the man that he recognized to be Czarny was heard, making his concerns even worse. Why hadn't he heard from the Armorless Union squads assigned to him, where was the confirmation that... that the entire thing had been a success?! "It seems the squadrons assigned under your care have... unfortunately taken some substantial hits beyond your powers, and now they're completely gone. Merely as squashed puddles of blood, might I add?"
"W-what...?!" Pawel felt his heart skip an entire beat, causing a lapse in his blood flow as his face paled. "What do you mean they've been... they've been wiped out?! By who? Who the hell could—could wipe out an entire Armorless Union squad?!" His voice became more frantic, and he had put all the power he could to reign in the hyperventilating breaths that were starting to form on his body. The opportunity to fix his current life had practically gone down the drain, and those bastards who had gotten him laid off would be sipping their wine up in their towering structures, while he would be left to rot! Even worse, killed!
"Calm yourself, Pawel, calm yourself, nobody could have expected such an occurrence to happen. Especially not on a day like this," the consistent voice of Czarny's slimy voice continued to leak through the communications device, "those who assigned this small mission to you and the Armorless Union are willing to overlook this failure. However, they would not accept another loss, and I believe the same would go for myself with matters such as this. Thankfully, it seems that the troops hadn't revealed any crucial information with what remained of their bodies..."
Pawel could feel more sweat start to develop on the back of his neck, letting the saliva building up in his throat swallow.
"...The people who hired you are willing to give you one more chance with a larger squadron of men... and they have even been considering sending a Platinum in the mix of assassins. So, act as you will and be more thorough in what to expect next time, Pawel." Every single word from Czarny held some undertone which he couldn't understand, but the graveness of the situation had definitely not been lost on him. Not in the slightest, as he knew his life was on a thin thread at the moment.
"Y-yes, affirmative, sir..." Pawel could hear a hum of confirmation from the other side of the device, practically miles away, before it had come to a halting beep. The moment it did, he let out a frustrated breath, filled with a pent up frustration starting with the sound of a kettle going off, before devolving into a full blown scream.
He needed to be more thorough, and he certainly will be next time.
***
Megumi walked into a weapons store advertised for knights. It was sprawling with weapons and some other people browsing through its inventory, none of their attention turning toward him with how focused they were. They were all dressed in varying states of gear, from lightweight armor to heavyweight armor, and all the likes in between. There was a distinct smell of sweat that came from them, which caused him to slightly crinkle his nose but decided to let it go. He had quite a hefty sum of money in his Endless Well of Shadows, all attained via means he would rather not get into the details of. Mainly, they were bloody ones.
There were many displayed, differently from the blacksmith back in Leithanien, but similar enough to what he would have expected that there wasn't an issue browsing through them. Overall, they were decently made, and the place held the real-deal when it came to effective weapons that one would see on the battlefield—even if they were slightly lacking in some of his expectations. However, that wasn't anything his Cursed Technique and Cursed Energy couldn't fix, he was simply here to add an additional feature to a Muramasa Blade of his.
Standing at the counter where a Kuranta woman was attending, perhaps the store owner's daughter, he could see her expression turn toward him with some slight shock, for reasons he wasn't particularly sure of. It wouldn't last long, as she was able to recover from it, before opening her mouth and speaking with a professionally trained tone toward him in her line of work.
"H-hello, welcome to the Knight's Iron run by the Steel Works Corporation, what would you like to—"
"Everything," Megumi's voice cut in line a well-honed blade sharpened to the extreme, making the Kuranata woman look at him with a strange face.
"E-excuse me? Everything...? You can't be serious, surely not...?" Her facial expression scrunched up, while the other people browsing the weapons turned to look at the Sorcerer with weird looks of their own.
The Sorcerer didn't care, "yes, everything. I can pay for it."
He was going to slaughter a few unruly horses, who stepped out of line.
***
Knock
Knock
Megumi knocked on the door to Ioleta Russel's estate, before realizing there was a doorbell feature for a reason—as the estate was large. The announcements off in the distance of the cities of Kawalerielki had already become deafening enough where he couldn't hear it anymore. There were a few matches that happened while he came here, and one in particular stood out with Blazingaxe Knight making heavy rounds and victories back to back. He remembered how Viviana told him of a duo match she had today, but he was afraid he might not be able to see it... but if he was quick enough with the business he had to attend to, perhaps he would be able to catch up to see her match in person. It was a few hours before it happened, after all.
The door eventually clicked open, with Ioleta Russel the matriarch of the estate peering through it with a recognizing expression, "oh? Fushiguro Megumi, what brings you here on this fine day?" A smile graced her lips while she spoke to him, one that told him she already knew of his purpose for traversing such a large distance toward her estate.
He wasn't going to deny it, either, "I'm here for Viviana, if she is available at the time..." the black-haired man replied without much of a hitch.
"Oh please, I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. Do you want me to call her here or do you wish for me to bring you in as a guest?" The Pegasus woman brought her suggestions.
"I'm on borrowed time, and will have to leave soon for some business back in Kazimierz, so I'd like to request Viviana to be brought here... if that doesn't trouble you or her, of course." Megumi kept his tone as respectful as he could when addressing the woman older than him.
"Understood, young man. I'll bring her here," Ioleta left the door and walked back, calling out toward the Independent Knight with a raised voice.
It only took about a few seconds when a second pair of footsteps were heard, and Megumi assumed the first pair to be Ioleta leaving the scene to keep the moment for the two. Not that he minded much.
"Hello?" A soft voice peered from the cracks of the door, as Viviana's delicate hand could be seen on it, opening it peeking her head through. Her pale eyes met the black-haired man's crimson, before the animal ears on the top of her head twitched in what Megumi could only assume to be relief? "Ah, Megumi, I hadn't expected you to arrive so soon?" The smile she gave was sweeter than any desert he had tasted—not that he liked their sugar contents in the first place.
"I wanted to give you a little message," Megumi massaged the back of his neck, "something came up relating to business in Kazimierz, and I might not... be able to arrive on time to see your duo match in person. I want to apologize if I don't make it in time as I promised, but I'll make sure I'll see it on my phone if possible." He honestly felt guilty saying this to the woman, but a sense of relief came to him when the woman was far more accepting than he could have imagined.
"Oh, please, do take care of any business that you have, I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience to you." Viviana shook her head gently, "just you seeing them is enough to fill my heart with content. Just visit me when you have any free time. I wish to discuss the book I had handed you, and hear more of those Haikus you've been speaking of... just that much is enough." The Independent Knight kept her pure smile, one that was enough to dig the black-haired man further into guilt.
"A-ah... thank you, that is lovely to hear," Megumi turned away, "I'll make sure to visit you when I do have free time, though. I'll also try to make it as fast as I can to your match when I'm done with the business that's holding me up." He turned his gaze back to the Elafia, watching her nod her head in agreement.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it," Viviana said.
"I will too," Megumi replied, before he made his departure.
***
"It's more decrepit than I thought," Megumi surveyed the scene in front of him, walking through the scenery while Laurentina carried the Cursed Tool he had made of her buzzsaw. "We've been in Kazimierz for a little bit now, but I guess I can't say I'm surprised something like this exists." He could feel the faint rumbling of footsteps off in the distance, his senses alerting him of a plenty of squadrons moving across the tunnels.
"Indeed," Laurentina replied with an agreeing tone, "but, with what we've seen of Ursus, this much is to be expected. It's just much closer to their cities—something that I expect to be the same with their... what was it called again? Chernobog, yes, Chernobog. That was the name of one of their cities that we have briefly visited."
"Hn," Megumi let out a sound to respond to her, "down that tunnel should be where most of the homeless people reside... I'm afraid we might not be able to help all of the people, though, so it might be best for us to split up for a bit." The Sorcerer made his calculated suggestion, while gripping Ame-no-Habakiri by his side.
"Yes, and after we spend enough time as we need in Kazimierz, we'll go looking for this Rhodes Island before we return for the Kaiserinnenfest, is that right?" Laurentina repeated the plans they had developed in the early morning, the clock right now having turned to the late morning, bleeding into the earliest time of the afternoon.
"That's right," Megumi placed his right hand on his left shoulder, rolling it to get the muscle strain out, "let's get these people over with, and meet that Kuranta girl you made a promise with. I also have a promise for another person to keep, you know?" He replied with the same bland tone as he had done before, continuing to make his way through. "I take this tunnel, there seems to be a squadron in there... and you take that other one, I'm sure you already feel their presence." He pointed toward his own, and then turned it toward another tunnel for Laurentina's sake.
"As you wish~" Laurentina playfully replied, "then we'll get this done with, without a hitch, as you want." A grin made its way on her face.
Soon, the two blurred into motion, their targets having already been chosen.
***
A/N: Idk about these Romance Omakes, but I guess some of you guys would like them, they weren't written by the main author.
Fight scene next chapter, along with Megumi's unwanted involvement in the tournaments for reasons. :)
***
"Lappland," Megumi winced, feeling the woman bite softly down on his neck, "what are you doing?"
"Hehe~ did you think you could escape me that easily~?" Lappland was behind the black-haired man, grasping him into a hug while he sat on his chair. "Ah, where are you off to now, a cozy place in Rhodes Island?"
"What do you mean escape? I wasn't escaping anything in the first place." Megumi let out a hiss as the woman continued to bite down on his neck, but eventually—strangely enough—started to find comfort in the rabid dog's sinking fangs.
"Eh, don't be so boring, we have a lot of time to catch up on time that we've lost." Lappland lifted her mouth upwards, a faint trace of saliva connecting her fang toward his neck, but it eventually departed. Her tail continued to wag uncontrollably, while she flashed him a smile.
"Is that so...?" Megumi let out a huff of air, still feeling his movements restricted by the little white devil, "I would have expected you to be pouncing on Texas after what had happened back in Siracusa... she views you in a far more different light than I would have expected."
"Oh~? Who's to say I hadn't already pounced on her?" Lappland retorted.
"Of course," Megumi said while rolling his eyes, before finding the Lupo grasp at him tighter. "Ugh..."
"No need to roll your eyes, you'll ruin the charm you have with that deadpan expression of yours. Actually, scratch that, you look a thousand times more attractive when you emulate Texas," Lappland put on a thoughtful look>"
"The hell?" He deadpanned at the white-haired woman, "at that point, why don't you just get a room with her?" It was hardly a thought out response toward the crazy wolf woman, but it was the best one he could think of at that moment while Lappland was practically grinding against him.
"I've tried, but failed," Lappland replied, before climbing up on the man. Her weight pressed down against him while she pressed down on his chest with a smile, her legs straddling him. "But—I haven't failed on this one~!" Her face flushed pink, eyes narrowing toward her prey caught between her fangs.
"I... am at a loss for words." Megumi glanced away with a blush finding its way on his cheek, "I hadn't expected you to go this far."
"Should I further put you at a loss for words~?" Lappland chuckled while watching his expression, "because I can go much further than this."
"Shit..." Megumi let out a nervous breath, "just don't break anything."
"I'll do soft bites~." Lappland smiled wider, grasping at the white martials arts gi he wore... and opened it up, to reveal his chest. "So why don't you get comfortable, little wolf~?"
***
"Ch'en, please—undo these handcuffs..." Megumi could feel himself wincing when tugging at them. He had thought of using Cursed Energy reinforcement to break out of them, but the woman watching over him would most likely impale him with Chi Xiao.
"Shut it, you already know all of the problems you've caused, right?" Ch'en crossed her arms while leaning against the wall, narrowing a deathly gaze toward him.
"Ugh... yes, yes, I'm aware—" Megumi glanced away while feeling her scrutinizing gaze plastered upon him.
"So! This is the best way you're going to repay them, bastard!" The Lung moved quickly, snatching him by the collar and pulling him in closer. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" She pulled him closer to her face.
"Calm down—you're tugging at my collar too hard." Megumi let out a nervous response while practically feeling the woman breathing down his neck, "C-Ch'en, where is your knee touching—"
"That's what you're worried about? I'm already at the limit before I start beating your face black and blue, and you worry about your collar being grabbed too hard?" She leaned on the black-haired man, letting his chair tilt back while the chains of the handcuffs rattled.
"Couldn't you have... brought Swire here instead? She seems much more—" Megumi found his mind on a sputter, not knowing how to register the situation.
"Tch!" She knocked him upside the head.
***
"Why... are we in your bed?" Megumi felt the soft fabric press against his back, too tired to make sense of the entire situation.
"You said you would take responsibility, isn't that right?" Ch'en stood off to the side with her arms still crossed, casually regarding the man handcuffed to the bed.
"Ch'en... I wouldn't mind... but isn't this too fast?" The Sorcerer called out tiredly, feeling his eyes start to half-lid. However, it would all be dispelled when the dragon lady had suddenly straddled him, pressing down on his shoulders, "I... uh..."
"What's your choice?" Ch'en leaned in and whispered into his ear after undoing her hair, letting the blue locks fall onto his neck and tickle it, while her left hand continued to trace the muscles on his chest.
"I... you know what, just do as you please." Megumi gave in, feeling his breathing start to become more ragged as the woman continued to "explore" his body.
He was sure Gojo would be cheering in Heaven right now.
***
"Laurentina..." Megumi could feel the shark teeth pressed down on his finger, the white-haired Aegir having grabbed him by the wrist, and was now biting softly on them. His black haori was off, and was draped over the white-haired woman who was in the same bed as him.
"Ah, uhm," she continued letting her tongue run across it, her crimson orbs turned upward toward him with a salacious look, while her body weight continued to press against him. They were in bed, and his body was hers to reign over, "your embarrassed expression... is just too lovely, Princess~."
"Thank you," he glanced away when hearing her words, feeling her hands grab his wrist before he was pushed down further on the bed. A small grunt left his lips, feeling his partner's fingers interlock around his limbs, and leaving him in a vulnerable position.
"It's just not fair~ how could such a beautiful Princess seduce me and not take responsibility?" Laurentina let out a faux whine while smiling all the way through, her crimson orbs gazing deep into the black-haired man's own eyes of the same color.
"I'm sure you're overexaggerating some parts..." Megumi kept his gaze away, but couldn't direct his eyes anywhere else.
"My dear Princess..." Laurentina grabbed his chin with one of her hands, forcing him to face her directly "...you want this too, don't you?" Her voice crawled into a soft whisper, her head tilting to the side while her eyes stayed forever concentrated on him.
Megumi opened his mouth for a refusal, but found the words completely dying out, like fizzing water completely losing its touch after doing its process for so long. So, all he could tell her was... "just be gentle, this is my first time." He glanced toward her with a shy look, and the black-haired man could have sworn she was turned on a thousand times more.
"With pleasure~!"
...
Fushiguro Megumi couldn't walk for the rest of tomorrow.
***
Arturia played her cello while sitting on top of Megumi's bed, the music flowing off of the instrument while the latter was sitting on a chair beside her. He didn't pay much mind, simply reading a book while the Sankta went on with her. That was, until the angel lady spoke to him.
"Do you enjoy the music?"
"It would be a lie if I said no." Megumi glanced upwards from his book for a brief moment, before turning back to read it.
"Oh my, that's lovely to hear." Arturia placed a hand over her mouth while smiling. However, she had more to say, "You know...? I can feel it, the unsatiated passion hidden deep in the confines, caged away like a slumbering beast..." Her eyes had peered into it, the emotions of Fushiguro Megumi, and it excited her.
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Megumi snapped his book shut while thinning his lips.
"Would you like a demonstration? For me to release that sleeping side of you?" Arturia fiddled with the strings of her cello while slightly swaying her body, as if asking for a simple favor from a friend... or for a friend.
"You're not playing any funny games, are you?" Megumi let out a huff of air while crossing his arms, "what's next, mind control?"
"I don't mind control people, silly. I merely bring out what is already hidden deep below. How about it? Would you... like to see what it's like, one more time?"
Hesitation, that was the feeling that Fushiguro Megumi felt when staring at the woman's eyes. The tantalizing smile plastered on her face in the form of the corners of her lips turning upwards, while her chin was slightly bent downwards... but he just couldn't deny it, "go ahead. Don't blame me if I accidentally kill you."
"I understand~" Arturia said, before her arms started moving once more. With each turn of the bow and each thrusting jab with it across the strings, it produced a languid sound of classicality, flowing ere casually into Fushiguro Megumi's ears.
"This... music...?" Megumi could feel his breathing starting to become more rough, while an invasive heat started to enter his body. On instinct, he took off his black haori in order to let his body cool down, but all it did was accentuate his flushed face, making him glance away in order to hide it. "What is this... feeling?" He glanced at his hand, feeling the sudden urge to slap himself or to take a freezing cold shower.
"Don't you understand~?" Arturia kept playing her cello, one eye peering out of her closed lids, peering as if it were a wink toward the black-haired man, "this... is how you truly feel, aren't you always so stressed hiding it deep within, to keep it bottled up like this...?" Her body leaned in closer to Megumi, attempting to meet his aversive gaze. "So... will you answer its calls?"
"You..." Megumi could feel his hands shaking, sweat developing on the back of his head. It was as if he was being given two options by the woman, a refusal, or an acceptance... with a deep breath that did nothing to calm this raging feeling stirring deep inside, he made his choice, "y-yes... I accept..."
With a larger smile, Arturia let go of her instrument and pounced him.