Chapter Text
━ ❀⋆༄ ━
THE REST OF the welcoming party is spent uncovering and munching through the day. As official missions are to start the day after, Gojo and Geto coerced Ieiri and the first years to laze around with them, engaging in cordial conversations. Gojo and Haibara have the most to say out of the group, as disorderly adolescent boys with enough stories to keep a plane ride entertained. To save face, Gojo keeps pushing his negative opinions of the third years and flaunts his rich field experience. Meanwhile, Haibara keeps it more lighthearted, recounting his childhood escapades and leisurely life in the countryside.
As seen through how they speak and their demeanour, the second-year trio is more down-to-earth than you would have expected. As they enjoy canned drinks and chips, Haibara eagerly questions them as if his life depended on it, with Fushiguro asking some polite, smaller questions in between. Haibara leans forward in his seat, almost falling out if not for Nanami begrudgingly pushing him back now and then.
Gojo Satoru is the embodiment of dramatic and extravagant, but with capabilities and inheritance like his, anyone would be. Gojo explains that as the coveted inheritor of the famous limitless technique of the Gojo, as well as the only son, he was expected to live up to astronomical expectations the moment he was conscious. And despite his egotistical manners, Y/n knew Gojo was genuine the second his gentle hands rested on her. His hands, which appear to hold the world, are so incredibly tender and careful. He lacks shame and an understanding of personal space, sure, but Gojo is already so kind.
Geto Suguru is everything Satoru is not and makes up his other half. His smiles are tranquil, his words are comforting, and the way he carries himself is so angelically elegant that Y/n wishes that maybe, they could switch lives and bodies. Certainly, he would fulfill her role better than she could, seeing how proper he was. Geto, as he told them, was born into a non-sorcerer family and came from a smaller, isolated village. He didn't understand curses until he reached out to the Jujutsu community, which eventually landed him a spot as a student. His humble upbringing, Y/n assumed, was the reason why he carried himself with such grace.
Lastly, Ieiri Shoko is the result of running away from a broken family with the hopes of making a living through the one thing she could do: heal others. Ieiri's stepfamily and mother all lived in Yokohama. Growing up, Ieiri believed she was schizophrenic and didn't understand what she saw as curses. It wasn't until she met a sorcerer that she abandoned her boring life on the pier to run away to Tokyo and enroll as a student. Ieiri's life, Y/n could assume, was one of independence and heavy decision-making, which made sense because it resulted in a woman so mature and beyond her true age that she was too tired to lay back and take a break.
After getting to know the second years, Nanami, Haibara, and Fushiguro gradually became more comfortable. Haibara took the lead, as always, and introduced all that made him the energetic ball of sunshine that he is. A countryside upbringing, small-town gossip, recruitment from a sorcery who happened to pass by the town, and a burning passion to protect people so he could make the world safer for his family. The older trio admires his wide-eyed gaze on the world and the pureness of his intentions. At his complete introduction, Gojo gives him a strong pat on the back and goes on about how great of a lowerclassman he would be, and that he would be happy to show him the ropes. Geto gives him words of encouragement, seeing as they both come from environments that opposed the business of Tokyo, reassuring him that adjusting would take time.
Nanami tells them less than his classmate. His family was in business, he's a Tokyo-local, and he was enrolled by his parents after they discovered his odd abilities. Though he is more indifferent, Nanami has a heart as gold as Haibara's, seen in the little ministrations he performs to keep his classmates anchored.
Fushiguro says even less. Much to Gojo, Geto, and Ieiri's surprise, Fushiguro lightly traces the outlines of her upbringing with avoidant manners.
"I'm from Kyoto," she says meekly, looking down at her thumbs. "I was supposed to go to Kyoto Jujutsu Tech instead,"
"Hm?" Ieiri tilts her head. "How come you ended up here?"
Fushiguro pondered, searching for her answer with a curious gaze. "Oh . . . I bargained," she laughs lightly, giving the others a content smile.
Gojo furrows his brows and opens his mouth to question her words further, but Ieiri and Geto give him a quick look. Pushing their already nervous lowerclassman into some sort of interrogation would do the opposite of warming her up to them, so Gojo gives up on the subject.
"Say," Gojo changes the topic. "If there are two Fushiguros, how am I supposed to call for one and not accidentally summon the other?" he questions with a suggestive tone.
The others look at him with a dead stare; Ieiri, in particular, looks annoyed.
"That's not going to happen," Ieiri says monotonely. "I doubt Fushiguro-senpai's ever going to be present."
"Still!" Gojo whines. "We should call the little one Fushiguro-chan until we can decide on a distinctive nickname!"
"I'm the little one?" Y/n says with beady eyes, frowning jokingly.
Haibara laughs. "You aren't exactly taller than any of us here, Fushiguro!"
Y/n looks around the room in retaliation, receiving soft laughs. Realization dawns on her as everyone, excluding Shoko, stands over her. Nanami and Haibara don't exactly tower over her, but it's still disheartening to be put at the end of the hierarchy of height. She pouts and Ieiri pats her shoulder in comfort.
Halfway through story-telling, a mountain of food, mainly sweets, is delivered to the door and Ieiri and Geto send Gojo a disappointed, knowing look. Ieiri and Haibara stop their odd discussion of zodiac horoscopes to gaze at the food in awe. Haibara, Nanami, and Fushiguro had never seen anything like it, it was endless, from assortments of Turkish delights to platters of high-grade sashimi. Yaga, who had left shortly after the first years became comfortable, would have never let the hefty purchase go through if he were around.
The food makes Y/n uneasy, so she abstains from eating anything until she lets the idea set in. The clan never gave her much access to different foods, seeing as she somewhat lived in the servants' quarters and was raised with a certain purpose that didn't require excessive training. Instead, she was raised on bland soup and vegetables twice a day, excluding the rare occurrence she could steal a rice ball or two from the kitchens.
Nanami and Ieiri begin to engage in a rather heartfelt conversation, with Nanami following Ieiri's soft words with short and understanding nods. Gojo moves to keep Haibara occupied, going as far as to steal Haibara's party hat as a "test," attempting to see whether Haibara could snatch it back from his upperclassman before the end of the party. All four of them hover near the food table, the more energetic two of the four stuffing their faces with a lack of decency.
As she sits around near the side, waiting for the comfort of either Nanami or Haibara's voice to relax her tense muscles, Y/n feels a plate placed on her lap. On the paper plate is a small collection of light pink, green, and white namagishi. Namagashi is a type of traditional Japanese dessert that is soft, moist, and often made with rice flour, something that Y/n had yet to try.
Y/n looks up at Geto, who placed the plate on her lap, with a puzzled expression. Her doe eyes, he finds, stare up at him adorably.
"You were eyeing them earlier. You didn't seem eager to eat any of the seafood or pastries, but your eyes followed this platter inside." Geto explains, sitting beside her with a serene smile.
"Oh—thank you very much!" Y/n says quietly, smiling softly and looking down at the assortment with delight. The namagishi were made so beautifully, some in the shape of flowers and others in circular, mochi-like forms. Their appearance almost made her want to squeal, seeing as she grew accustomed to the boring leaves and soups she was fed daily.
Geto's eyes follow hers and he chuckles. "Have you had them before?"
"N-no," Y/n admits, looking down at the floor in a flustered manner. Already, she felt so intimidated. Geto, as Haibara explained, was a big shot in the world of sorcery. Simply sitting beside him felt like a test in itself. However, his collectedness eases her fears, seeing as when she goes to make eye contact with him, his warm gaze fills hers with a smile.
"That's alright, here, try this one," Geto points at a pink one, folded to mimic the blooming of a flower. "It's strawberry-flavoured. A safe choice, so to say,"
Y/n admires how delicate the sweet looks and inspects it closer to her eyes. She smiles and takes a bite, humming in delight and swinging her legs lightly. "S'good!" she beams.
Geto laughs gently and continues to eye Fushiguro. Compared to Haibara and Nanami, Fushiguro is an alluring enigma. You can read her every action and comprehend her emotions, but other than that, you cannot make any sort of inferences concerning her life. One look at Haibara and Nanami and you can assume that they were small-town and city boys, but Fushiguro has an air to her that is both starry-eyed and terrified.
"Say, you have the Luminiscence technique, no?" Geto asks, watching Fushiguro munch happily on the array of namagishi he brought her. He has a seaweed salad in his own bowl.
"Mmm hmm," Y/n nods. Luminescence has long been associated with the Sekine Clan, which has dissipated with time. Her father was one of the last descendants of the Sekine, however, her mother's lineage insisted that she took her mother's last name. Tengen, the renowned immortal sorcerer who upholds the barriers of the Jujutsu world, once harboured the technique before she furthered it with her own abilities. Tengen's technique is no longer named Luminescence, but its foundation comes from it.
"I haven't mastered it at all," Geto is taken aback by Y/n's sudden confession. However, her smile does not falter and she continues to snack happily. "Actually, it wasn't until recently that I was even allowed to use it. I grew up without having to use it at all,"
"Oh," Geto replies. "Well, I was in a similar position. I was thirteen when I began honing my cursed technique. You have lots of time,"
Although his tone is slightly off, lacking its usual stern but gentle resolve, he is not wrong. Innate techniques are, after all, innate. So no matter how early one begins practicing their technique, it goes as far as it was destined to. Fushiguro, he assumes, is no exception. Luminescence is a formidable technique, and despite its definitive lack of sorcerers who can properly hone it, its written records should be enough to lead her down the right path.
Y/n doesn't know much, and she knows that much. Her eyes shift over to Nanami and Haibara, who are neighbouring the snack table with Shoko and Gojo. She wonders if they're as clueless as she is, or if sorcery is already coming naturally to them. No, she assumes, they're much farther ahead. Nanami already stands so tall, looming down at the world with an unfazed look of insouciance. Haibara takes the world onto his shoulders, with a fang-bearing smile and a resolve of steel. Y/n isn't either of them, and she already feels so out of place.
Trying to keep up with giants when you've been living in a chicken coop your entire life is unbearably discouraging. And Y/n can only believe that she has anything but time. The clock ticks every second, minute, and hour, to remind her of her pending doom.
"I don't know," Fushiguro admits softly.
Geto, halfway through his seaweed salad, swallows quietly. He looks at her and tilts his head, smiling softly. "Hm?"
"There's not a lot of time," Fushiguro says. Her words, though light and said with her clement demeanour, feel unsettling. Geto pauses to understand where she's coming from, and what she means, but there's not much to decipher from her pleasant expression and body language.
"Of course there is," Geto says with a light chuckle.
But there isn't, and Y/n has known this her entire life. She's not an heir to a major clan like Gojo, she's not a country bumpkin discovering herself like Haibara. She has a fate and it's waiting, and she knows it.
Fushiguro goes quiet again, only smiling as she happily chews on her namagishi, as if the oddly worrying conversation hadn't happened at all. Geto is unsure of whether he should push the topic or let it go. Geto is used to confrontational people, both Gojo and Ieiri avoid confrontation at all costs. But he isn't used to Fushiguro's ability to perform under a constant pretense, Instead, he goes to give her a head pat, much like what Gojo had done earlier.
Geto's eyes soften at her. "We have nothing but time, Fushiguro-chan,"
━ ❀⋆༄ ━
The morning after was better than the previous two. The night before, after her teammates dropped her off at her dorm, Y/n still felt uneasy, unable to attain adequate rest in a bed so foreign and unfamiliar. To ease her stress, she slept inside her little walk-in closet, dropping a few pillows, a soft blanket, and a Hello Kitty stuffed animal before holing herself up. The first night, she slept in the closet without any comfort, seeing as she did so out of pure fear. The second night, she passed out in the bathtub, much to her confusion. However, that night, she got a good amount of fulfilling shut-eye, because when she woke up, she wasn't as disoriented as she was during the previous mornings.
Nanami was the one who knocked on her door a few minutes before the start of class to remind her that they were beginning soon. She thanked him before leaving her dorm a few minutes after, meeting Haibara who was leaving at the same time.
Kusakabe looks drastically better than the first two days of class, and Y/n wonders if the second years—namely Gojo—stopped pestering him over meeting the first years. He's in his usual uniform, with the addition of a cute charm bracelet that has Haibara laughing.
"Where'd you get that, sensei? It's so cute, but I would've never expected it from you!" Haibara laughs, eyeing the gold and pink accessory.
Kusakabe huffs, trying to ignore Fushiguro's giggles and Nanami's look of bewilderment. "My niece," he grumbles.
Before the trio can tease him any further, he silences them by clearing his throat awkwardly. "Moving on!"
The idea of mission-going is exciting and to the three, is also incredibly foreign. Nanami and Haibara have only encountered minor small-town and random city curses, neither engaging in combat nor exorcising them. But Y/n is much more familiar.
Kusakabe-sensei begins the impromptu lesson with an announcement that they will be going on a mission in less than an hour. The lack of preparation and sudden assignment is a result of both a shortage of sorcerers and his good reviews of their current capabilities.
"You three did well on the initiation, so I presume you will be fine on this extremely minor mission," Kusakabe says. "We have already gone over the basics of exorcising curses, and you are also familiar enough with your own techniques adequately enough. But if anything were to go wrong, dial me right away. I won't be far. These curses, we expect, should be minor, anyway. No higher than grade four curses."
Unlike Nanami and Haibara, Y/n grew up with curses. The clan has a room, an isolated and large, cellar-like room in the far corner of the clan grounds. Its hollow and eerie exterior is merely a front because the inside is filled to the brim with a variety of curses of all sizes, colours, and capabilities. Y/n knows them all too well, the feeling of their fangs and claws, the best corner to hide in, how to level them, and how to avoid bleeding out in their presence.
Curses have always been a death threat.
"All of you are below grade two, so missions will be in groups or pairs for now. Today . . . your first mission will be in Kabukichō," Kusakabe admits. Nanami and Haibara are both only grade four sorcerers, fresh in the game. Fushiguro's abilities have been analyzed beforehand, and despite her lack of experience, the council decided to name her a grade-three sorcerer.
Nanami stiffens at the name of the area. Haibara and Y/n look at each other, acknowledging that Nanami knows something they don't.
"Sensei..." Nanami clenches his jaw. "We're only sixteen," Going there, he knows, is not only extremely uncomfortable but also teeters on the edge of their wellbeing.
"Actually, I think Fushiguro's fifteen!" Haibara pipes up, earning a surprised look from Y/n.
"Oh! How did you know?" Y/n smiles. Her birthday isn't a date that was ever considered important, but knowing Haibara somehow made the effort to remember both her age and birthday accounts for something.
Haibara beams. "Oh! Well, we were all born in 1990! And when we were talking to Ieiri-senpai about horoscopes, you guys mentioned your zodiacs. Nanami, you said you were a Cancer! And Fushiguro, you said you were a Libra. That means your birthday hasn't passed yet, Fushiguro!"
Y/n softens at his attentiveness and almost loses her train of thought. "You're right, I was born on October 13,"
"Nice! My birthday passed! I was born on August 1st," Haibara says. "I'm a Leo! What about you, Nanami?"
Nanami, who is still reeling from the news of being assigned to Kabukichō, quietly answers, "July 3rd,"
"Kusakabe-sensei! When is your birthday?" Haibara asks.
The older man makes a dull, questioning expression. There is almost no way that his student suddenly shifted the topic to birthdays, of all things, after being told where his first mission is to take place. "Focus, Haibara."
Haibara straightens up and nods, unbothered by the scolding and smiling brightly.
Kusakabe opens up a folder and pins photos of Kabukichō to the board, including entertainment buildings. "There's a cluster of low-grade cursed spirits hanging around the...buildings. There have been numerous complaints of attacks and we're trying to keep them on the down-low. Today, there's a celebration, so it should be busy enough for you guys to go in, exorcise, and come out without much attention."
"Is it an entertainment district, sensei?" Y/n asks quietly.
Kusakabe closes his eyes, clearly stressed by the entire situation. "Usually we wouldn't dispatch first years for a mission in such a precarious area...but the principal insisted. The curses, from the reports, aren't dangerous at all. The mission was initially intended for Inumaki Akio, one of our third years, but he came down with a fever. His teammates are in Fukuoka facing grade one threats and Gojo and Geto were just dispatched in the early morning to handle some bigger curses in Kawasaki. Some...school was overthrown or something. And I tried to contest, to accompany you three. But there's an emergency call at a Shibuya station that I have to handle simultaneously."
His answer, though explanatory, did not address the initial question. So with a heavy sigh, Nanami looks down and answers with a gruff tone. "Kabukichō is Tokyo's Red Light District,"
Haibara makes a sound of realization and Fushiguro reddens, her expression anxious.
"How about Ieiri-senpai?" Nanami asks. "Is she not more capable of an infiltration-like mission?"
"No, Ieiri is not permitted to be dispatched on exorcism missions. She's the only reverse cursed technique user of the three current generations of sorcery, so she never gets sent on these sorts of missions," Kusakabe sighs. He eyes the three and notes how they are growing antsy. He regrets accepting the order, but this is Jujutsu society. There are rules in place and corruption within. The mission, he could only pray, would be simple.
"Sensei, are we even permitted to...go there...?" Y/n asks, flustered.
Kabukichō, Tokyo's Red Light District. It's a place of lust, chaos, flashing lights, and fear. Anyone would assume that with all the...shady, adult activities, minors like them would stand out of a crowd like a sore thumb.
"Listen, it's a simple mission, in and out. I'm giving you specific buildings. The curses are building-tethered, remnants of regrets and grudges. They won't be difficult to find. Don't cause too much of a ruckus and remain on the down-low." Kusakabe explains.
Fushiguro is definitely the one he is most worried about. She's a pretty young thing, meek and unable to verbally defend herself. She may arguably have the most promising technique of the three, but her personality violates the desired traits of a traditional sorcerer. Kusakabe notes that he is going to have to help her develop more of a backbone to defend against the men of the city. Tokyo, or any major city in the world, really, can never truly be a safe space for women. Not with the poisonous mindsets of misogyny.
"Fushiguro," Kusakabe whispers. "You have my number. I won't be far at all, call me if anything, if anything happens at all."
Y/n looks up at her mentor with round, admiring eyes and smiles. "Okay, sensei,"
━ ❀⋆༄ ━
The Red Light District is mesmerizing. Its neon lights and buildings were expertly built to attract eyes, designed for the wandering male gaze. But despite its aesthetic appeal, the reek of alcohol and explicitness is evident, creating an unusual aura of discomfort and darkness. Flashing signs attempt to persuade passersby to indulge in the moment and the booming speakers of the numerous nightclubs boom in the distance. Men in all sorts of outfits wander, both alone and in groups. Vendors are filled with nightly visitors, laughing over drinks and inviting nearby women to join them. The buildings tower over the three intimidatingly, and the number of host clubs is overwhelming.
Voices drown each other out, both hushed conversations and barking laughter filling the street that is almost as beautiful as a mural. Colours fade into each other and Y/n finds herself startled at the beauty of the carnal desires of humanity. How could acts so treacherous occur in such a world? Signs blur and men pass by, occasionally glancing at her for too long to be an accident. She trails her eyes down to the pavement, pulling at her uniform sleeves to stay comfortable.
Nanami keeps his eyes on the street ahead of them, only entertaining the ambition of getting to their destinations. Haibara's eyes wander every now and then, trailing over to random people and buildings before he flushes and looks away. Fushiguro is extremely on edge, only looking at the ground in front of her as she stumbles over her feet to follow Nanami and Haibara.
The jingle of a door to a massage place opening startles Fushiguro, who looks at the place with wide eyes. A man leaving with a content smile makes eye contact with her, eerily smiling. His business attire is a dead giveaway of his recent endeavours, his suit is slightly dishevelled. His expression deepens in interest, and it isn't until Nanami grabs Fushiguro that she escapes his stare.
Haibara has gone eerily silent, the other two notice, and is only then that his sense of spatial awareness is taken into account. The environment, though not explicitly inappropriate, is vague and filled with oddly provocative signs and posters, enabling an awkward, conversationless stroll.
Despite the district being well-known for its entertainment purposes, Y/n finds that the majority of stores belong to restaurants, and the fact slightly eases her mind. It isn't until Nanami huffs and pulls out his phone that conversation is reignited between the trio.
"The area is down the street," Nanami says, looking over the address.
He earns silent nods from his companions and continues leading them down the street, trying not to be irked by the ceaseless surrounding chatter and advertisements of adult women attempting to attract. On arrival, the name of the bar becomes fitting for its appearance. The exterior is decorated in painted white vines and flowers, all surrounding a white neon title that reads "Night Flowers." The building is made of thick, painted dark glass and is several stories high.
"Stick together?" Haibara suggests, staring up at the building with a nervous undertone.
"We can try," Nanami answers, moving carefully to open the door.
Upon entrance, a dark, empty waiting room with a red-curtained door near the middle back lights up. The leather couches and low lights only add to the hazy aesthetic. Nanami clenches his jaw and turns to his right, spotting a side entrance with stairs.
"We'll scout, first," he explains. "Kusakabe mentioned seven floors. We'll comb through each floor and figure out where it is first. Do any of you sense anything?"
Y/n closes and eyes and focuses on her fingertips and palms, feeling the smooth course of cursed energy flow through her. She zeroes in on her surroundings and attempts to extract any foreign behaviours that result in odd feelings. To her disappointment, she feels nothing. Her skill level is a far cry from the standard, skilled sorcerer and even sensing cursed energy is a little bit difficult. However, Y/n takes into account both the population of the area and her clouded judgement. She assumes both contribute to her inability to sense anything.
Y/n shakes her head, facing Nanami, who bites his cheek, and Haibara, who doesn't even bother trying. "Nothing,"
The boys, who were both silently hoping that Fushiguro would be able to give them an answer as the highest-ranked sorcerer of the three, sigh.
"We'll sweep the first floor, together, then," Nanami suggests, reluctantly moving towards the curtains. When the other two follow him, he opens the curtain to reveal an entrance to what appears to be a nightclub. The music is echoing from behind the doors, and a bouncer sits on a stool near the door.
Oddly enough, the bouncer doesn't question their ages. Instead, he narrows his eyes at Y/n and shakes his head. "No women," he answers, even without being questioned.
Both Nanami and Haibara furrow their eyebrows. The plan is, and always will be, to stick together. It is safe to assume that not a single one of them is trained enough to be put on their own in a situation as precarious as this.
"What?" Haibara spouts. He eyes Fushiguro, who is only saddened at the words, a small frown on her face.
"Oh," she sighs.
Nanami frowns, giving the bouncer a dirty glare. "She's with us,"
"This floor is for men only. Only women who work here are permitted," the bouncer recites, not bothered by how upset the two boys appear.
Nanami wants to grab his head in exasperation and slump to the floor in annoyance. How stupid could this district get, he wonders? They receive no question for being at a (presumably) provocative nightclub of some sort at such obviously young ages. However, being a woman is a no-go. It's apparent that whatever is happening behind the doors is a form of "recreational purposes" for lonely men. Probably a bar filled with men with extreme fanservice from tightly-dressed women.
"Look, sir, we won't be long, just—" Nanami's reasoning is cut off by a deathly glare from the bouncer as he finally stands up.
The trio shrink into themselves as the bouncer stands to reveal his godly height, accompanied by his muscles and angry expression. His frame itself could crush the three to death.
"J-just..." Nanami trails off, taken aback by the situation.
Fushiguro nods and looks at Nanami first. "O-okay...it's okay," she promises, smiling nervously and shaking her hands in a manner that says no. "I'll...look upstairs," she whispers the last part to Nanami.
Haibara overhears the two and shakes his head, his anger, though serious, comes out gently. "What? No! Look where we are, why would we separate from you, of all people?" he blurts.
Nanami understands his reasoning and wants to agree. It'd be stupid to let someone as physically attractive and docile as Fushiguro wander the indecent area on her own in search of dangerous beings. He sighs, eyeing the door. The longer he takes to decide, the shorter the bouncer's patience gets. Their chances of entering lessen by the second.
On a whim, he frowns and nods. "Scout the second floor, then meet us on the third if you don't find anything. Give us five minutes, and call us if anything happens," he says quickly, grabbing Haibara by the elbow tightly to drag him into the room.
Haibara yelps and actively disagrees with the decision, turning back to look at Fushiguro worriedly. She smiles and waves, whispering empty promises that everything will be alright. Y/n bites her lip, much more worried about her teammates and the mission itself. As their first mission, she was expecting something much more instruction-based and simple. Like a countryside curse exorcism.
The bouncer closes the door and looks at her expectedly. Y/n squeaks and turns around quickly, intending to pretend to be leaving before making a dash for the staircase. However, she's stopped by the bouncer, who approaches her silently and places a hand on her shoulder.
"Where are you headed?" he asks, voice gruff and bothered.
Y/n stiffens. "O-oh..." she whispers, turning around and pointing off to random places in the distance. "I'm g-going to...enjoy the area," she lies through her smile. "Maybe g-get some dessert?"
"Dessert?" he raises an eyebrow. "Okay. Second floor."
"W-what?" Y/n sputters, turning crimson.
"Second floor, up the stairs," he repeats, unimpressed by her anxiousness.
"O-okay, thank you!" Y/n says quickly, scurrying out of his sight and racing up the stairs, keeping her skirt down with her palms.
Y/n heaves nervously at the top of the stairs, feeling her cheeks with her cold hands. She's unprepared for missions like this and hates how incapable she is. Why is she already such a mess? How can she help anyone if she's already all over the place? Y/n shakes her head, trying to drown out her negative thoughts, before opening the stairwell door to the second floor.
Unlike the first floor, the second floor is a lot more private. It's one long hallway with dim neon-pink lighting, with numbered rooms and soundproof walls. It's deathly silent, and Y/n can almost hear her blood pumping through her arteries and veins. She feels herself tremble at how nervous she is. To compose herself, she takes a few small steps into the hallway, her boots clicking against the obsidian tiles. She closes her eyes and with a stronger concentration, tries to sense external cursed energy. Her fists clench and her eyelids tighten as she attempts to focus her cursed energy on sensing any other energy. Her flow of cursed energy quickens. Her mind envisions the hallway ahead of her and a small, figurative flame appears. She can feel its pulse, its life, ahead in the distance.
Y/n opens her eyes excitedly, feeling accomplished. It's a standard skill that she hasn't quite mastered yet, but the bare minimum is enough to keep her going in this situation. Her steps echo as she moves towards the bundle of energy that she is focusing on sensing. Room 201, 202, 203, 204, 205..., 206!
Her small hand wraps around the cold handle, and whatever is inside the room lurches to life. Her presence sets off the cursed energy, bursting it into a strong, brighter flame. It doesn't seem strong, she notes, so she takes a deep breath and prepares to open the door. After a small countdown, Y/n slams the door open and gets into space, summoning the beginnings of Luminescence as an immediate defence. Her hands are outstretched and her palms are facing her front surroundings. Just as her fingertips begin to release small, delicate specs of golden-yellow, she is taken aback at what she faces.
The cursed spirit in front of her is one of many, she assumes, because it is tiny and appears harmless. Two beady, black eyes stare at Y/n, wedged into the small, murky, red spider lily-shaped curse. It looks like a beautiful flower, staring at her with a sense of innocence and fear.
Y/n's defensive stance gradually eases up until she moves to stand in front of the small curse with sad, sorrowful eyes. "You're tiny," Y/n whispers. "How could you hurt anyone?"
The curse hovers in the middle of the room, its eyes blinking slowly and its petals curling in on itself. Y/n frowns, but remembers what she was called there to do. Y/n puts her hands in front of her in a much less-defensive stance, more relaxed and gentle. "I'll put you to sleep, okay?"
Luminescence performs quite simply, Y/n has noted over the last few months she's been practicing. To use it, she summons cursed energy to her arms and hands, and from there, she can release in the form of a barrier she can shape with mastery. The strength, type, and permeability of the barriers vary depending on her desires, but her abilities haven't gotten to the point of full mastery. Simple barricading barriers, golden-yellow and sturdy enough to prevent exit or entry from most, are all she can conjure.
With squinted eyes, Y/n summons a circular barrier that starts from the corners of the room. Using full concentration, she pushed the barrier into itself, attempting to form a spherical barrier around the flower-like curse. Y/n winces, as the simple barrier already takes up quite an amount of energy and effort. The curse doesn't move, allowing itself to be slowly encased. Y/n focuses on closing it in faster, wishing to finish the mission both quickly and efficiently.
However, the barrier flickers and suddenly disappears, leaving Y/n to gape at herself. She looks down at her arms and hands, which are still in place. She looks at the curse, which is still dormant and blinking. She doesn't understand what went wrong with her steady flow of cursed energy until she feels the presence of another person behind her.
[WARNING: non-con-ish scene up ahead!]
Y/n feels a hand slide around her waist and bites back a yell. She looks down at the hand in disbelief, finally able to understand her failure to conjure a barrier. Y/n has always known that her flow of cursed energy, although strong, is heavily impacted by her nervous system. The simple presence of a foreign man totally set her off.
The unknown man closes in on her, moving to push his toned chest against her back and hair. His breathes a ragged and against her ear as he comes to nestle his face along her hair. He towers over her, and she can’t even see him. “Are you who I called for? I think you're in the wrong room, sweetie,"
Y/n feels her heart drop to her stomach as the man pushes her into the room and a strong shove. She’s thrown onto the floor in front of her, and it’s only then the pieces fall into place.
The second floor is more…for private recreational purposes and the phrase “dessert” likely serves as an innuendo to imply pleasure. Because the second Y/n lands inside the room, the dimmed lights and clean bed surrounded by soundproof walls switch a lightbulb off in her head.
“Oh…n-no…no, I’m—“ Y/n stumbles to her feet nervously, feeling a pounding headache seep in as a result of the fall. She turns to the man, finally putting a face to the deep voice. He’s tall and well-built, with shaggy brown hair and dark eyes.
“I told ‘em room 212, right across. Did ‘ya get lost, sweetheart?” he slurs, moving to close the door and approach her.
“N-no, wait—I’m not here for that—I’m a—“ Y/n fumbles over her words, scrambling to her feet and trying to get past the man. But before she can get any further, the curse behind her sprouts to life, much brighter than it was a moment ago.
Its sudden activation startles Y/n and she sputters in confusion. The entire situation is overwhelming and her head hurts. Her eyes widen as the cursed spirit, which is obviously not visible to the man in front of her, becomes agitated by his presence.
“C’mon honey, why so scared? Is this some sort of role play? Okay, come here,” he chuckles, taking long strides to grab Y/n by her blouse, hastily trying to unbutton her top.
Y/n feels the colour drain out of her face and suddenly the man in front of her is another, with darker hair and a shorter stature. His words are suddenly meaner and his cat eyes mock her entire being. He’s smirking at her, laughing at her pitiful state, pushing her onto the clan training grounds and mimicking her cries of pain. Y/n physically cries out and thrashes against him, raising an arm and trying to summon a defensive barrier in front of her. But only a spark of gold flashes before it dissipates again, and Y/n feels so incredibly angry at how helpless she is.
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” the man whispers, suddenly caressing her cheek.
Y/n momentarily calms down, suddenly being reminded that she’s not back at the clan grounds being thrown around by the same man that haunts her nightmares. She’s in a sketchy small room, cornered by a tall man. The situation isn’t any better, but she has a small chance of being able to escape.
However, all her strength slowly disappears and fear sets in when his grip tightens on her blouse and his hand starts to trail up her thigh, flipping up her skirt and trying to grab her stockings. Y/n screams, trying to shove him away. But her arms are no match for his muscles and he overpowers her so easily. She gasps in pain when he shoves her against the wall and cages her in, and the tears that she worked so hard to hold in start to free fall.
“Now, now,” he whispers. “Let’s play nice.”
Y/n thinks back to just moments ago, how she promised Haibara that everything would be fine, how Kusakabe-sensei promise a quick and easy mission. She cursed herself for being so inept, for being so unable to defend even just herself. Y/n shuts her eyes tightly and tries to ignore the violating touches of the man in front of her, his disgusting fingertips trailing down her unbuttoned uniform blazer, his palm on her thigh moving upwards.
“You look a little young, babe, how old are you—“
The man’s outrageous question is interrupted by a small, screeching voice that mimics that of a cat’s. Y/n eyes dot over to the spider lily, which has seemingly reached its peak of agitation. Its petals are now enormously outstretched and spiralling around the room. A tendril swarms over to the man and pierces right through his chest, his blood splattering all over Y/n’s frame.
His body falls limp onto her smaller one as she screams like no tomorrow. Y/n feels her breathing quicken, almost as if she’s about to hyperventilate. The blood is getting everywhere, it’s all over her half-dressed torso. She reluctantly looks over to the curse with terrified eyes, and she feels all hope leave her body as it only grows in size.
The curse expands and its petals outstretched towards her weak frame. Y/n screeches as a tendril pierces through her shoulder. Crimson bleeds into her top and flows down her arms as she stares at the curse with bloodshot eyes of disbelief.
Y/n blinks rapidly, tears streaming down her cheeks and uniform falling off her shoulders. She laments on the time she spent growing up, the time she spent fighting, every moment of her life—because at that moment, she felt as though all the time she’s spent so far is coming to a waste.
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