the afterlife.

[mugen-raise]

FAM HAS RELOCATED! FIND ALL MY MUSES OVER @taiyou-torikomu.

[mugen-raise]

@jinseiborn: escalating this quickly from 🌹

𑁍—"Well, yeah, I meant to say it out loud. You're gonna cram me in this little nook, perfectly kissing sized, not ten centimeters from my face and talk plant psychology at me, and what? I'm not supposed to put two an' two together? C'mon, Kurama. Maybe I'm not the best at gardening or math, but I'm really good at making an ass out of myself.

Or haven't you noticed?"

The edge of his grin beckoned to what he knew of Kurama's fascination with the dangerous, the unexpected, and the sincerity of a person; his expression was unabashed, his intentions were pure. More or less. Sure he was nervous. Sure the possibility of rejection lingered at the back of his mind. But historically, neither of those had ever presented as obstacles grand enough to stop his mouth before, so why get all hesitant now?

Yusuke's palm spread against the warm planks behind Kurama's head; for balance and to give fox-boy a little more of a caged-in kind of impression. Maybe if he helped him feel a little pissy about the situation, he could rile him up out of that tidy veneer of perfectly curated distance. It wasn't about the physicality of it; proximity-wise, Kurama wasn't averse to sharing space. And there was no way Yusuke was going to kid himself about catching up mentally to a thousand-plus year old yokai combat-botanist- strategist. This was about feelings and stuff. Not exactly a smooth and reachable terrain for either of them. That was why it was important to remind Kurama that being young absolutely sucked. You could never know quite enough. Saying the right words was embarrassing as hell even when you got it right. Everything was a learning experience, which meant there were a lot of screw-ups to be had. It sucked. And it was also the most exciting, worthwhile, amazing time to share with Kurama. He'd loved every moment of it, even the moments he'd hated - he'd loved, too. They were in this stupid, awkward, incredible time of their lives, and somehow, in spite of the many opportunities for distance and/or death, they were together for it.

That was why he thought a kiss was a good idea.

Yeah, his reasoning checked out. Now it just came down to execution. No sweat.

His gaze surveyed the contour of Kurama's jaw, tracing the path to his lips. Stupid soft kissable Kurama. His empty hand followed that course, gripping into the vibrant collar of Kurama's uniform. A possessive draw of his wrist encouraged his companion closer, but if the redhead obliged, Yusuke would reward the cooperative measure by stroking his thumb alongside the jawline he'd just studied.

He would credit his delinquent days and smoking habit for his kissing expertise - although that would probably piss off everyone he wanted to kiss. But even then, they wouldn't be able to deny the way that his mouth knew just how much pressure to use in meeting theirs; the gentle way his lips gripped up against another pair of lips, practiced finesse, practiced expectation of sharing the space between his upper and lower lip. An entwining of breath, vitality, and the heat of a living soul, touching along the boundaries of one another so closely that the taste of spirit and flesh alike permeated the tender collision.

At some point, he remembered the good form of closing up one's stare instead of just drinking in the sight of someone irreplaceable positioned right within reach, where he liked them. A sheepish grin crawled across his features, before he deferred and closed his chocolate brown eyes to the view of Kurama's expression, caught in a moment of sentiment, of some reckless, innocent, trivial - yet sacred, exchange of youthful adoration.

[lyra-weis]

"Chimera Shadow Garden"

[mugen-raise]

“Reno keeps telling me about how competent you are all the time…” (Kikoru to Hoshina)

𑁍—Thick, sable lashes were netted together tightly for his usual capricious smile, and that expression didn't falter even as the brazen and ambitious Shinomiya issued him a rare ...compliment? She offered it sideways and by-association, but he'd count it.

His piercing, scarlet gaze was hidden away, but he studied her with fixed curiosity just the same. Proud. Eager. Incredibly skillful. All of it went for both Reno Ichikawa and Kikoru Shinomiya. So that was some high praise coming from fellow perfectionists.

"That's what he says, eh? Well, that's great news! Turns out I might just be qualified for my rank, after all."

He gave a robust grin in jest, but he knew that Shinomiya didn't say many things off-handedly. And from what he'd seen of her, she didn't waste time with idle socializing when she could be honing her skills or driving her potential forward. If she'd sought him out, she'd have a reason for it. ...but, like her father, she wasn't always the most forthcoming with her genuine feelings or intentions.

She had the right idea for the most part, disregarding empty platitudes and focusing on a proactive approach. He respected that about her - along with her countless other exemplary traits. But he wasn't exactly made of grace - guessing as to what she was targeting him for was an uncertain game with unclear rules.

Fortunately, he found it worthwhile to run some risks. Not bothering to conceal his interest, he pressed for a little transparency,

"He could say the same for you, if we're bein' honest. Is there some reason why I should know what Ichikawa's sayin' about me?

Didja need to make use of his assessment? Or are ya interested in gettin' reviewed, yourself?"

[mugen-raise]

taiyou-torikomu: CROSSOVER PROMPT EXCERPT: Nᴏᴛ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ Gᴇᴛᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ Gᴏᴊᴏ's ᴄᴀᴍᴘᴀɪɢɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Tʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴᴛʜ Rᴇғʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴɪɴɢ Vᴏɪᴅsᴇɴᴛ …ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ʙʀᴇᴀᴄʜ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ Vᴏɪᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ. Oʙsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ ғɪʀsᴛ ʙʏ Cᴀɪᴛ Sɪᴛʜ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛʟʏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴅʙɪʟʟ Sᴋʏ Pɪʀᴀᴛᴇs, Lᴇᴏғᴀʀᴅ Mʏsᴛᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ғᴀɪɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴘᴇʀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪʙʟᴇ ғʟᴜᴄᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪsᴇ ɪɴᴇʀᴛ ᴇɴᴇʀɢɪᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Vᴏɪᴅ Aʀᴋ, ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ… "A ᴛᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ sᴏᴜɴᴅ," Lᴇᴏғᴀʀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ, "ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴛʜʀᴏᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋ ᴏʀ sᴜᴍᴍᴀᴛ." "…ᴏʀ ᴀ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀ," sᴜᴘᴘʟɪᴇᴅ Cᴀɪᴛ Sɪᴛʜ, ɪɴsᴘɪʀɪɴɢ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴅ. Wɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ ɪɴ ʜᴀɴᴅ, Gᴇᴛᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ Gᴏᴊᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ Aʏᴍᴇʀɪᴄ ᴅᴇ Bᴏʀᴇʟ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ, ᴡʜᴏ ᴘᴜᴛ ғᴏʀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. Wʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ, ғʟᴏᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴍʙ ᴏғ Mʜᴀᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ғɪssᴜʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ - ᴏʀ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ʙɪᴛ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴄʟᴀᴡᴇᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴛᴇɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. Wʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ Vᴏɪᴅ Aʀᴋ ᴡᴀs ʟᴏsᴛ, sᴏᴍᴇ ғɪғᴛᴇᴇɴ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɢᴏ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ Vᴏɪᴅsᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Aʀᴋ ʙᴜᴛ ɪʟʟ-ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ Vᴏɪᴅ. Tʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴅ sᴏᴜɢʜᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴀɴs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴘᴏssᴇssᴇᴅ, ᴘʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇɪʟ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇs, ᴛᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴏᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ Aʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴅɪᴍᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Mᴀᴋᴀɪ - ᴛʜᴇ Dᴇᴍᴏɴ Rᴇᴀʟᴍ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍʏʀɪᴀᴅ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜᴘᴇʀɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʏᴏᴋᴀɪ ʀᴀᴄᴇ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇᴅ. A ғᴇᴡ ʟᴏᴡ-ʟᴇᴠᴇʟ ʏᴏᴋᴀɪ ᴅᴇɴɪᴢᴇɴs ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴘʀʏɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀʀ, ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏsɪᴛʏ. Tʜᴇ ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴀᴛɪᴀʟ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅᴀʀɪᴇs ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Aʀᴋ. Tʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴀsɪʟʏ ᴅɪssᴜᴀᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ Gᴇᴛᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ Gᴏᴊᴏ's ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ. (Tʜᴇʏ ʀᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.) Jᴀɢᴀɴsʜɪ Hɪᴇɪ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ Gᴇᴛᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ Gᴏᴊᴏ ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴀʏ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ, ᴀs ʜᴇ ʟɪɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏғᴛᴇɴ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Mᴀᴋᴀɪ, ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ Dᴇᴍᴏɴ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Tᴏᴜʀɴᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ. Hᴇ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴀ ᴠɪɢɪʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʟᴏsᴛ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs ᴡʜᴏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇɴʟʏ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ; ᴛʏᴘɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴏ ʀᴇᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs sᴀᴠᴀɢᴇ, ғᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. Eᴠᴇɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʜᴇ'ᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪʀ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ, ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴛᴏᴜʀɪsᴛs: ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅʟʏ ᴏʙɴᴏxɪᴏᴜs ᴛᴏᴜʀɪsᴛs.

𑁍—Nothing was ever static in the Demon Realm. Aberrant storms borne of the clashes of vitriolic energies crackled overhead. The restless denizens of Makai were ever-clamorous: gnashing, expanding, conquering. There was no penitent veneer of civility to be found in the Demon Realm. And that was why he preferred it. Most of the time.

It was a poor choice if one sought rest - there were better realms to court for that. But he wasn't looking to idle. There was power he needed to cultivate, and strength he needed to carve into his body, and there was no experience quite like training in Makai.

While there were waves of chaos characteristic to the plane, and nearly predictable in their wake, Hiei was still attentive to the emergence of energies that did not fit into the volatile tapestry behind him. Typically, those mild-mannered disturbances belonged to misplaced humans who encountered the absence of a barrier between the Human and Demon Realms - a fairly recent development - and mistakenly wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time, in the wrong life. His task therein was forthright: he would intercept them, scrub their mind's eye clear of the memories of Makai, and send them packing back to their own more hospitable realm.

Fortunately, such irritating interruptions were sparse, or else he'd come to feel far less chivalrous about the return label on those lost humans.

That new protocol notwithstanding, it wasn't exactly the manner of intrusion that his augmented perception trained in on.

A crowd of lowly yokai were fleeing from within a thick swatch of a dark forest called The Sinking Shroud. Not altogether a strange occurrence - instances of the weak as they fled from danger could be witnessed a thousand or more times a day. That forest held formidable threats, after all. But then the threats fled, too, and Hiei's curiosity was thus piqued. Ancient yokai of fair power still rushed to the outer edges of the wood - yokai who had claimed that territory for centuries, ceded their hunting grounds within moments. Hiei's speed wove through their numbers, and found that at the distant side of the forest, the great haunted oak that had granted the woods its name had burst open, like a gaping wound. It was a massive tree, hundreds of feet tall and several score in width. It had a nasty habit of grabbing passerby with its lithe, serpentine branches and pulling them down into the soil to nourish its roots; hence, the forest's Sinking appellation.

Whether it was a plant or a beast, none could aptly say - but at the moment, it was far more wounded than Hiei had ever seen, in spite of generations of yokai hacking and slashing at it, whether out of revenge or just some honest, healthy fear.

The wind rattled resentfully through its branches, and as Hiei neared the site, he could see that something had ...pried it open. He moved a little closer, and caught view of two unfamiliar entities who were also surveying the site. Beyond the tree's grievous injury, the space behind them looked... different. A distortion of some kind - or a portal. Hiei bristled. It was too soon to deal with portals and barriers again, damn it.

The smell of human just didn't waft from them like it ought to have. Small wonder, as he examined them: the dark-haired traveler sported a pair of ears that he was accustomed to sighting on Yoko Kurama. A kitsune yokai? From some other, similar realm? A cursory glance at the ash-haired man didn't offer as much in the way of an explanation of his nature, but his presence carried a burdensome weight and an endlessness at once. Hiei's jaw was tense; their strength was writ in plain sight, he didn't even need to invoke the Jagan. His instincts bid him to drive an attack, but instead he wrenched his jaw loose enough to speak,

"If you're here for the Tournament, you're either too late or too early. Go home. Try again in two and a half years or so."

Were they the ones who had split open the Sinking Tree? Where did they come from, what was that disturbance about? And why had they come? He wasn't the Spirit Detective - who by all rights, was the one who was supposed to be pursuing the answers to questions like that. Maybe they'd pick a fight; that he preferred to deal with.

@mukagenborn

[mugen-raise]

" yo. " tossing a paper ball at his big head, nobara waited for megumi to turn around. " you feelin' better yet? i've got a lot to fill you in on. "

𑁍—It was late in the afternoon. The cicadas were trilling lazily, and the shadows were sprawling in length along the structure of the dormitory building.

Megumi had known that Nobara was on the approach as he lingered just outside, breathing in the onset of cooler evening air. He knew the sound of her footsteps. He'd long since memorized the cadence of her gait - assured, attentive, enterprising. She was the opposite of himself, in some regards. He enshrouded, obfuscated, retained. Nobara was electric, illuminating, clarifying.

And maybe that's what made it so easy for him to pick her out of a crowd, or glean her presence in a space. But it was very important not to let her know that she occupied such a swath of his mind. She wasn't a reticent girl, and she didn't shirk from capitalizing on what she could influence. What she'd do with that knowledge....he didn't want to even think about it.

She'd probably try to run him down to his last ragged nerve. And it would probably end up taking less energy to oblige her than to argue, which was a dangerous predicament. He'd seen the tower of bags and boxes that Itadori ended up carting for her. He sure as hell wasn't going to end up at the bottom of one of those stacks. Or dragged into debates on restaurants, or regaled about seasonal fashion. (It was beyond his notice at the moment, that he'd apparently paid plenty of attention to Nobara's pet topics even when he wasn't directly involved in the event.)

She was like Gojo in that: too charismatic for her own good. Maybe Itadori was content to get drawn in to Gojo-sensei's and Kugisaki's pace, but he wasn't going to be so easy. It was up to him to keep the line strong against the liberties they'd take.

She moved in, and spoke. And he delayed his response until he had to catch the paper projectile. It sank into his palm as he turned on heel, wearing an irked expression.

It was more or less performative. He wasn't actually opposed to her company. But again. The line. He had to hold it.

“If it's not about a mission, I don't really have time to stand around.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tsumiki's voice chided him for being cold towards someone who had just voiced their concern for his well-being.

All right, all right. It wasn't capitulating if he was just acknowledging her consideration.

“...I'm fine. Thanks for asking.”

Out of reflex, he'd made mention of declining Nobara's intentions to talk with him over something, but he hadn't made any progress in actually leaving or avoiding hearing her speak. The way she'd phrased it, like he'd missed out on a big development, or a profound quantity of information - it piqued his interest, but there was always the risk that it could be something unabashedly ridiculous. In spite of his best efforts to stay in his own lane, he'd been caught up in pranks and nonsense by the other pair and their mentor too many times to just blithely invest his attention.

Maybe he'd prod just a little - see if he couldn't get her to divulge just enough of her intentions to tell him whether he was better off washing his hands of the situation in play, or whether it actually needed to involve him in earnest.

“If it is important, we'll talk inside. I don't want to hear complaints about mosquito bites for days on end.”

[mugen-raise]

“I don’t want to hear that from you!” (Maki to Panda)

𑁍—Panda held up his paws in a conciliatory gesture, giving the tempestuous Maki a few moments to remember how adorable he, as a panda, truly was; preferably before she decided to follow her verbal complaint up with a physical emphasis.

Not that he was worried! He was just trying to help! And good intentions had never led anyone down any kind of a troublesome path.

“Don't shout, Maki! I'm the good guy here!

I'm just saying, if you wanted a little kissing practice for when Yuta gets back, I can help you out. For free! It's a good idea if you think about it for a minute. You don't have a good track record for this kind of thing, right? But you're gonna want to make a good impression when he shows up!”

Sleek, ink black lips drew forward as he leaned in towards her a bit, affectionate, jocular, and brazen. (Close, but not too close, he needed a little room open just in case she opted for a fresh up roundhouse or something).

His reasoning was so sound. One: because he was a panda, it wasn't technically like he was getting in between the two! Because he didn't think about humans like that. But two: because he was Panda he was close enough to both of them to have some motivation for making sure everything worked out right.

It was a pretty inspired plan! Maki was just being stuffy.

Wait... did she think he couldn't kiss?? Pandas were inherently irresistible and kissable - and he had even more charm than the regular guys!

“EHHHH? Don't tell me! You don't think I can do it? Is it because I'm a panda!? Ouch! That's discrimination, you know? I'll have you know that kissing is 100% hardwired in along with arm-wrestling and sleep-talking!

Put up your best pout, Maki, or admit that you're scared of losing to panda's smooch!”

Oh, and the third reason. Because it was funny.

He would do his best not to get turned into a rug, but right up to that point, it would probably be worth the rest just for the chance to tease Maki a little.

Sometimes she packed too much upon her shoulders, and she forgot that she was entitled to the nonsense and the heckling of adolescence, too! Fortunately, he was here to make sure she didn't miss a moment of it. Maki, like Yuta, and Toge, and the rest of his hardworking friends at Jujutsu High - all deserved more of the best parts world than he could fit in his own two clawed paws. It would be ridiculous to apologize for that out loud - and they weren't the types to accept it, anyway. He knew what Masamichi had desired in giving him siblings. Having someone there in the dark with you. Sometimes it was enough to save a life.

Well, he wouldn't claim that he was trying to save Maki's life, or anything substantial like that. It was just a kissing game. And it kept Yuta in their conversations. But it was also a reminder that her world was so much bigger than just the weight of the Zen'in Clan. Who could worry about sneering old sorcerers when there was a giant, dashing panda beckoning at your attention~? If it worked, he'd have to pass his superior technique onto Yuta, after. It could be that playing human games like this was one of his better ideas.

[ofluminance]

for someone so cute - hot - it's almost expected of the person to not be intelligent. yuji? he was the complete opposite. at each an every turn, since the first day that he and nobara had met, yuji had surprised her.

even now; the lilt in his words, the inconspicuous smile - he was trying to play cool. ( and he looked damn good doing it, too. ) but, nobara knew yuji and megumi better than she knew anyone. she knew their game faces, knew their soft smiles, and knew when they kept something under wraps from the other. something told her, call it women's intuition, but, yuji wasn't being completely honest with her.

maybe, he'd tell her when he was ready too? so she hoped.

" good answer! good answer!! " she claps her hands together sarcastically with a smirk. " don't think that's gonna get you brownie points, though. but, you're right. I would be mad as hell. never assume anything about a woman, you'll probably be wrong. " amber eyes lift, a sparkle held within, as nobara winks at him.

mayyyybe mentioning kissing fushiguro was a step too far? but, it was something that nobara had even considered before. both yuji and megumi had become such an integral part of her life, during a time when she didn’t realize just how lonely her life had been. until, of course, meeting both of them. still, yuji's reaction was worth the comment. it was good to see pink cheeks matching the color of his hair. " sooooo, that's a yes. " nobara grinned, " you are both hopeless! and it's okay, you know... about fushiguro. your secret is safe with little ole me! we've allll thought of it. don't you worry. "

kissing yuji, was quite unlike anything she had ever experienced before. sure, in her middle school years she'd had a few kisses. but, none of them equated to this.. there was a vulnerability that settled between them. suddenly, the silly banter, the confusing signals, all of that dissipated into just serene.. comfort. the way he pulled her closer, and the way her body reacted to his deliberate touch. the kiss was electric. & it sparked so many wonderful things within her she'd scarcely felt before.

desire, comfort, appreciation - .. happiness? all from one little kiss? nobara feared how she'd react if they did it again.

amber eyes lift, when he pulls back - was he always that tall? he's so close within her reach, yet he still feels so distant. her free hand settles on yuji's chest, and she feels his heartbeat beneath her palm. worry furrows in her brow, but when he leans his chin against her forehead, nobara shuts her eyes, and focuses on how the beating of his heart, instead. her fingers tighten in his hoodie. - maybe, this was just too sudden? there was a time and a place for these things.

mind wandering on what if scenarios, nobara freezes when he finally does speak up... jealous? no one had ever been jealous over her before.

her eyes open, and nobara blinks, completely caught off guard. so, the tables had turned, huh? now look at who was running the show. point 1, itadori. that was smooth. " it.. uh, wasn't my first kiss. " nobara admits, happy that he wasn't able to see the growing redness in her cheeks. " the country is a small place. we had a small school, and we were dumb kids. " though, nobara wasn't about to admit that she'd only gotten kissed out of pity in dumb childhood games. never picked first, always last. honestly, coming to jujutsu high had been such a breath of fresh air. one she'd been craving for a very long time.

then, out of nowhere, lost in her feelings, it hits her: and nobara does a double take, dumbfounded. " ... are you telling me that was your first kiss?! " talk about feeling self-concious! nobara hoped it wasn't bad.. yuji certainly seemed to enioy the closeness they shared, smiling down at their twined hands, so did she.

unsure if it was the sudden-ness, or maybe just the newfound adrenaline that now coursed through her veins; amber eyes settle on yuji. his back is turned, almost like a wall that separated himself from her. then there was this bridge with their hands, a lifeline. a way to pass through and reach othe other side.

yuji squeezes her hand, and nobara squeezes his back. her free hand reaches to the back of his reddened neck, where it lingers for a moment. then, she cards her fingers into the soft pink strands of yuji's hair and she kisses his shoulder.

" you're supposed to trust me when I say, even if that wasn't my first kiss, it was the best kiss i've ever had. " she laughs, echoing herself from earlier. " remember, never contradict a woman. especially, your girlfriend. "

[mugen-raise]

𑁍—It was her spirit, too. Like sunlight. Her gorgeous, impish little grin. The sound of her voice. She was like a remedy to his hesitation. When he was uncertain, she doubled down. When he doubted, she squared up. Even now she was brushing the fears from his mind and reminding him how to move forward without forgetting the joy that was possible in it. There were bright places too, and she was one of the surest he had found.

Of course he liked her. He'd like to keep liking her forever, really, if she would let him. It seemed like an unwieldy thing to say, and he believed she'd catch on eventually. She figured him out too easily, too often to believe otherwise.

Speaking of figuring him out, she sure cracked the case right over his clumsy reaction to Fushiguro being brought up. Flabbergasted, flustered, and admittedly inspired to have her as a co-conspirator, that Yuji couldn't even put any words together about it... which was probably the only reason why he didn't pop off excitedly, and fully eat his foot at the time.

Their exchange had led him through a whirlwind of emotions, but it began and remained as warmth.

She divulged a glimpse of the truth of her previous kiss history, and he made little grumbling sounds to fully indicate his displeasure with the idea of coming up late.

“Yeah, well... maybe those others don't count.”

It didn't matter that she was probably talking about schoolyard dares or the like. And it didn't matter that he placed a much higher, arguably more selfish importance upon their entanglement, now, then what he'd spare for any lucky little punk that might have run off with Kugisaki's first kiss. The point was to emphasize that he thought they belonged together. Him. Kugisaki. And Fushiguro.

Maybe the Curses wouldn't wait, but they were making progress, too. And if they were together, it would work out. That's how he felt. As if to answer him, he felt Nobara's fingertips slip into his hair, and her touch melted the tension right out of his shoulders. His chest opened up, and everything felt possible, again. He turned to face her again properly, after she'd pressed the kiss to his shoulder. His unease wouldn't do anything for her, and he shoved it aside in favor of aligning his thoughts to the irreplaceable presence at his side.

She complimented the kiss and he beamed - a bright, wide grin of unabashed exuberance. He leaned his side in against her some, let the heat of their closeness meet in a gentle collision. She was fit; her body strong and well-conditioned for the battles that sorcerers faced every day. But she was also a young woman with a stunning physique even outside of the necessities of their work. Her girlish curves aligned with his heavier frame, and he offered a loose embrace to make up for when he'd turned away.

Feeling a little bold because of her prior praise, he half-teased, half-promised,

“Don't get satisfied with the idea that you've already had the best. I'm just gonna keep adding to them, and they're gonna keep getting better.”

He was glad that he took the chance to self-promote, because when she called herself his girlfriend, Itadori felt like a bolt of lightning snapped from his tongue to his toes. His eyes widened as he both marveled and basked in the unexpected upgrade.

Girlfriend!? Well. That was the next logical step after everyone established that they liked each other, right? He was so stupidly inexperienced in this type of thing. She probably knew that. Still, it hadn't been that long ago when she was demanding that he shut up (she probably still would) and telling him off for trying to explain to her how aspects of the sorcerer world functioned (he sure as hell wouldn't try that again, at least).

But they'd faced a lot since then - danger, excitement, tragedy, victory. And they'd proven much of themselves to one another, exactly where it counted most. Obviously, he had no idea what might be expected of him from this point, but he was more than happy to blunder his way into finding out.

“That wasn't me contradicting you before, just so you know. I'm just saying. I'm a quick learner so... you should definitely say when you like something. I'll remember it, and I'll like it with you. I'll remember what you don't like, too. And I'll dislike it with you.”

A little awkward, if he was honest with himself - but hopefully it would work as reciprocation, a promise of meeting her halfway. A thought occurred to him, stemming from her earlier reassurance, and he magnanimously provided,

“And I think maybe if you wanna kiss Fushiguro sometimes, I can deal with that.”

He said it with a grin, but he meant it. He wasn't a closed-minded person by any means, and it genuinely sounded... well, it sounded more fun - to think of them as working on things together, living life together on purpose. Sharing things a little more intently than just as classmates. Maybe it had even begun to happen, already, and it was just now being said.

The notion stirred him and he was enthused as he suggested a visit with Megumi, who had since been treated for the injuries he sustained against the Special Grade, Hanami. The fate of the Tokyo-Kyoto Exchange Event was still under deliberation of Gojo-sensei and the other adults, and there was nothing left for them to do but rest and process the wild procession of events that had colored the competition.

“You know what? We should bring Fushiguro something when we go see him. He's basically recovered now, right? We should celebrate everything with a pizza.”

[mugen-raise]

亜白ミナ__tell me, did i give you what you came for? //Mina to Hoshina!

𑁍—His hands froze in place, strong fingers cradling a thick stack of papers left suspended in an upright position. The satisfying "thap!" of aligning the bottom of the stack against the surface of his desk didn't follow at all like he'd intended. A thin veil of dark lashes parted as he glanced with incredulity towards his captain.

What kind of question was that? No, it probably wasn't that strange of a question. What was strange were the answers that clamored along the sides of his tongue, each more emotionally obscene than the last.

Looking her way suddenly felt dangerous. His lashes knitted together again and he glanced back to his hands, and resumed aligning the pages together.

She hated paperwork. He loved her earnest, unpolished penmanship, though. And sometimes he ensured that she'd have to do a little more of the elective reports because he loved to read the way that things appeared to her. They had seen so many of the same events, but he needed to know how it had all unfolded in her eyes - to her mind. Sincere. Enduring. Unrelentingly heartfelt.

How was he supposed to answer that?

Outdated. Undesirable. Antiquated. Inferior. Insufficient. Impractical. Unqualified. His reputation had hung around his neck like a noose. His name had weighed on his back like a headstone. His grip upon the tsuka of the katana he loved was so tight that he didn't even care that the weight was slowly dragging him towards the edge of somewhere desperate. Somewhere final. Untalented. Obsessed. Disgraced. Overlooked. Unacceptable. Outmatched. Weak.

Then she had stepped into his path, and it was as though she brought him to some higher realm altogether. The world as it turned in her eyes, from her view, the clarity from the heights she had visited - he was gifted it all, for a simple promise.

What he had been looking for... somewhere he could use his blades. Someplace where he could be himself, and strive as he pleased. She had given him those things. He could just as easy say, "Sure." And it would never taste like a lie.

But she had also given him hope. She'd given his name back, his dreams, the will to endure right beside her. The exhilaration of finding out who he was meant to be - what he could achieve. She'd given him strength, and friendship, and a place that couldn't have been called anything but home.

Ashiro Mina. She had won him over a thousand and ten times. She'd given him the world, and a life worth living in it.

Was he ever going to come clean? Sure as hell not. Words like that were better left in someone else's mouth. Like Hibino.

Hoshina smiled surreptitiously, and shrugged a shoulder, “Can't say that I've got any regrets 'bout it. Nothin's lackin' that I know of.

Are ya tryna' figure out how to bargain your way outta these field reports? Sorry, Taichou, I ain't that easy. This half is still yours~.”

Because. He really liked her handwriting.

[mugen-raise]

"asking seems impossible, nearly." (Chousou Tougyo verse from sorcerer Mel)

𑁍—A languid, dark caramel gaze slipped from Itadori Yuji's back, and ventured instead, towards the fair-haired sorcerer nearby. While his self-elected vigil over his younger brother was of paramount importance, so too was it necessary to oblige the interests of those who turned in orbit around the center of his world.

Maybe that was true. And maybe that was something he told himself to obscure the otherwise potent memory of having come up against a seemingly impossible inquiry, himself, not too long ago. Would his answer serve the young woman who asked? Or himself?

A low, contemplative sound reverberated along Chousou's throat as he gave her statement its due gravitas. Then, softly, he offered,

“You've seen things in your lifetime that I couldn't yet think to envision. You've already heard thousands more voices up to this point, than I have in over a century. If I were to tell you to discard your hesitation, or your caution, I would be doing your own wisdom and experience a disservice.”

He crossed his arms over a broad chest, still in the process of deliberating a stance of assistance he could provide. The cooperation between himself the other sorcerers was a surprising development; it wouldn't do to assume he knew the intricacies of her thoughts. He was far more the outsider, here. Yet, he was also the one to whom her words had carried.

Many had gathered beneath the roof of Jujutsu High in a gamble to preserve what was important enough to the whole, and to each individual present, against that which threatened all. It was vital that they lend what they could to one another, when the opposition knew full well, how to target the fragility of human hearts.

“But I will say this: when asking feels impossible, it often stems from two possibilities... either the answer already exists somewhere inside of you, or you know that regardless as to what you'll hear, you already have a course in mind that you intend to take. No matter what.

Naturally, embarking down that road with you is a task that falls to your allies.”

What he knew of his fellows was a little sparse in the way of details. But he did know of Melody. She was held in warm regard by Getou Suguru, who was a close ally to Gojo Satoru, who was his little brother's mentor. So following that vein of reason, he should get to know her better as well, shouldn't he?

What he did know about the young sorcerer was that she had the strength of heart to stand in a space that once spoke only of division, as conflict and differences were set aside in favor of protecting that which mattered most - the individuals and ideals that stood at the center of the struggles ahead. Because she stood with them, he also stood with her. And for that reason, he couldn't allow her to feel as though anything lie beyond her reach. That was simply the courtesy that a companion should provide for their own.

The edge of his generally reserved mouth rose into the faintest trace of a smile, “I get the feeling that very little is actually impossible for you.”

[mcflymemes]

"EVEN IN ARCADIA" BY SLEEP TOKEN PROMPTS *  assorted lines from the album, some slightly reworked to suit a roleplay format, adjust as necessary

i could die here.

now i know why i woke up here on the shoreline.

everything looks the same.

you'll find me with half a mind to get violent.

don't say it's over.

give me the edge of a blade.

nobody knows where i came from.

how can i already lose my way like this?

i used to know myself.

you used to know me well.

you wish that you could make me whole.

i have a feeling we're close to the end.

come out from underneath.

go ahead and wrap your arms around me.

godspeed to my enemies.

tell me what you meant by "living past your half-life."

you're well-versed in the afterlife.

you might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet.

nothing else is quite the same as how i feel when i'm at your side.

are you gonna dance on the line with me?

you know it's not a game or a fantasy.

i don't even know who i used to be.

nothing is the same.

some things have to change now.

i'm apologizing for shit that, frankly, i stopped thinking of years ago.

i still need a dark side.

they just need a reason.

keep me alive.

now is the time to take it or leave it.

did i get this far for nothing, or are you the reward?

if this is love, then i am out of hesitation.

i just don't want to be lost again.

i wish i could have known that.

when was the last time i felt like this?

it's like you're dangerous to me.

i notice every time we meet.

you've got me talking in my sleep.

i thought i could resist you.

when's the last time you tasted blood?

i might lose my mind.

won't you show me how to dance forever?

i swear it's getting harder even just to exhale.

i'm sick of trying to hide it.

i'm lost.

i guess that's what i get for trying to hide in the limelight.

everybody wants eyes on them.

if you don't think i mean it, then i understand.

i'm still glad you came.

let me see those hands.

i'll take what i'm given.

tell me, did i give you what you came for?

everything's the same.

somehow i knew my fate.

have you been waiting long for me?

no matter how we feel, we've got a taste for one another and a few good years to kill.

i wanna be your provider.

just let me know that you're mine.

do i wanna go there?

i wanna do more than just bend the rules.

you're the only game that i like to lose.

i'm going under this time.

i can give you what you want.

surely we know the difference.

how will i know if i can't see the bottom?

no one else knows that i've got a problem.

what if i can't get up and stand tall?

who will i be when the empire falls?

nobody told me i'd be begging for relief.

i've learned to live without it.

i no longer feel surrounded.

you never listened to me.

i was your undercover lover.

you never saw me naked.

you wouldn't even touch me.

i'm caught up on the person i tried to turn myself into for you.

i was trying my best.

i was in love with the thought.

do you wanna hurt me?

we used to be a team.

i don't wanna stick around.

please just let me go.

what are you afraid of?

are you the method in my madness?

i have fought so long to be here. i am never going back.

i could be stuck here alone.

i'm so tired inside.

i'm never leaving this time.

[mugen-raise]

@ofluminance continued from here.

𑁍—The lengthening space between the last breath he’d spent on his admission and the first syllable of Kugisaki’s response sent his stomach running up and down his ribcage. His senses were tightly attuned to her reaction - the subtle shadows cast by her eyelashes, the proud arch of her brow as she contemplated his words. She could lift his world or snap it open with barely a thought.

‘Scary stuff.’ 

Itadori observed and waited, as silence gripped hard at the center of his throat. 

Was she pissed off? Had he seriously overstepped himself?

Even so, it wasn’t as though he could just play it off. 

He’d said it purposefully; it had felt imperative. Like the words would have spelled themselves out from his chest, anyway, as he’d stood in the corridor alone with her. 

It was such a small peace. It was such a small space. Their heartbeats were such small sounds in all the clamor of the school, of the world of sorcerers, of the ageless war between Curses and Humanity. It was just the two of them; a pair of willful souls cradled inside the tenuous space between struggle and survival. 

When a moment like this could unfurl - he had to speak up while they had it.

Everything turned into chaos so quickly these days.  …well, ‘these days’ for him, at least. 

She’d always lived in a world like this, hadn’t she? 

Kugisaki’s amber gaze pried at his attention, and his expression collapsed under the weight of all her unspoken, accurate guesses. He gave a messy, conciliatory grin: half-hope and half-reassurance, 

“I’m not stupid enough to think I can guess what you’re feeling, Kugisaki. Plus, you’d be mad as hell if I started assuming this and that about you, right?”

The pressure of her fingertip against his chest was - at once, both strong and delicate. Heat bloomed like wildflowers at the diminutive span, and the flush followed the path of her touch, pooling in his neck until he thought he would slip out of the waking world altogether. His pulse thundered in his ears and he barely had the presence of mind to issue a weak scoff at the notion of kissing Fushiguro. 

That was. Kind of a different thing. Maybe. Sort of. Was it? 

A chuckle drowned in affection and possibly some terror ventured an escape as he conceded wholly to her claim that they were hopeless without her, “... no comment.”

  She knew what she knew.  

He saw the kiss coming. Felt the grip at his collar. The realization that it was his first kiss with a girl washed over his thoughts, soothing and staggering at once. He swallowed hard against a sense of inadequacy, closed his eyes, and added his gentle favor to the connection between them. 

Itadori expected embarrassment. He thought he’d panic and mess something up. 

He didn’t anticipate the relief. The gratitude. It could have overwhelmed him, if he hadn’t been so cognizant of the sensation. She was warm, close, and her mouth was impossibly soft. Nobara’s breath slipped against his mouth like hot silk, and he raised a hand to her jaw, aligning his fingertips along the curvature of her neck. He was the type to experience the world by what he touched, after all. 

His thumb sought the subtle slope beneath Nobara’s bottom lip and her girlish chin.

He could feel her pulse, beating tenaciously beneath his fingertips. Her taste, the scent of her hair, the heat of her skin - her vitality was coursing against him like a little storm and he was so damned relieved that she was alive in spite of his weakness. In spite of the Curse that -

—

His eyes snapped open. The Curse. A crimson gaze brimming with insatiable malice leered at him somewhere from within a darkness that Itadori felt he’d forged with his own ignorance.   

He should have tasted like death. 

He couldn’t let Kugisaki anywhere near it. 

Because he was a dead man. What was the point of asking her to hear him say something like that when he was a walking execution sentence? Cruel. He was being totally cruel.

God. 

If he’d never swallowed the damn thing, then maybe he and Nobara could have -

…no. …that wasn’t right.

Without having done that - he never would have even known about sorcerers. He never would have met Kugisaki. Or Fushiguro. He never would have known any of them. 

Was he grateful to that bastard?  Not a chance in hell.  Nothing was worth the suffering, the death, and the anguish he brought. 

So wasn’t it kind of messed up that he was glad to kiss Nobara right now? All of it. It was only possible because—

Itadori nuzzled his forehead to Nobara’s brow and pulled away, turning his back to her for a moment in a gentle departure from her view.  

If he got stronger. If he could keep Sukuna and his evil crammed up, if he could help exorcise Sukuna. If he could keep up with Nobara, and never let Fushiguro have to shoulder his weight, again: then maybe… Maybe he wouldn’t feel so gross for asking for their love.  

Itadori lifted his shoulders, and joked nonchalantly, “Jeeze. If you say that’s your first kiss, I’m gonna feel talentless. But if you say it isn’t, then I’m gonna get jealous. What’s a guy supposed to do, here?”

He couldn't quite face her, yet. His eyes were troubled. The back of his neck was beet red. And he gripped her hand tightly in his without saying another word.

[gabbyp09]

[mugen-raise]

@mukagenborn !!

[mukagenborn-archive]

@jujutsu-fantasy TEXTED: ⋘ 𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕘𝕖: ⁺¹ ʸᵃᵍᵃ ᵐᵃˢᵃᵐᶦᶜʰᶦ ⋙ “ you ran in the other direction when you saw me coming the other day. ” ∞ - Still accepting!

無量__Ah fuck, ah shit, oh hell. What was the excuse supposed to be again? Did he just accept fate? Demise by gorilla? He had a plan, of course, but going down this early might mess things up a bit, so there had to be a way to ... divert all the blame onto Suguru? .....eh, that was way too lame. Can't blame the guy who took over his own corpse to seal the deal and save their asses, when he just kind of got gridlocked by a gay stun grenade. A deep breath, cavernous and way too long, with the exhale exuding most of his soul in a desperate attempt to stall, and as he had pretty big lungs, it lasted a while.

"Yeah. Lying would get it worse, right? Ok, ok, ok! I booked, because I thought you'd be pissed! It's my bad, I got sealed. I put everyone's ass on the line, even though I said I'd watch out for every buttcheek!"

His tone is that of a belligerent youth, an expression that mirrored several he made over a decade ago, an indignation, even if he wasn't being accused, turning the burden on himself was something default.

[mugen-raise]

✗.一What was the world coming to? Since when did the ones who came after have to square up to shelter their elders from the storms? A tasteless, unspoken joke at his own expense. It had always been that way. Entrusting backs half as broad as his own with burdens that would have rent his spine asunder - that was his curse to bear. Watching as the faces of his students became silhouettes in his memories. If they weren't sorcerers, then he might have been be long buried before he had to mourn a son student. But that was the humble blessing of a life untouched by jujutsu. Instead, he called them by name, and sent them into dark, all-too-brief futures. When precious names became curses on the tongue... who was really to blame for it all? Worse than pointless, it verged on self-pity, and Yaga diverted his focus to the petulance before him. Not petulant - defensive. ("You let him get away?" "...are you really asking me that?") Yaga wanted to believe that he, too, had grown since then. The older man's hand found the bulk of Gojo's back in a stark clap. He knew Infinity wouldn't meet him. Satoru was considerate in the strangest ways, at the strangest times. And if Satoru's weakness was found in the lives around him, how could he even begin to berate him for it? The fact that the strongest man alive had a heart as red and warm as any of them was a triumph for humanity, itself. And perhaps proof that for a sorcerer, redemption lay within a curse. He hadn't been there when the Zenin boy had ambushed Satoru. And he didn't shoulder enough of the aftermath, he felt. He hadn't been watching closely enough, when Suguru slipped away from them. He tried to maintain objectivity during the Night Parade, and left Satoru to bear the grim task of exorcising that twisted soul. And when Satoru went into the depths of Shibuya station, he encountered hell, alone. Suguru was fighting fate, weaponizing his own desecrated corpse. Satoru was fighting fate, while trying to shoulder the blame for all of it. "Shut your mouth, already, Satoru." His palm spread across the back of Gojo's head, and roughly tousled the mess of ivory into pure disarray. If he was going to go to the trouble to sound like a sullen whelp, he'd get treated like one. And encouraged like one, too. "At least let me carry half of it, now."