Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen
⚠️ SPOILER HEAVY ⚠️
Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Full tags/warnings on Chapter links post
Major Characters: Original Character, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, Yaga Masamichi, Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, Tsukumo Yuki, Choso
‧₊˚✧ Chapter 119 ✧˚₊‧
Utahime leaned with her lower back against the railing. The breeze was blowing in her dark hair which she'd worn up today. The summer that year had been brutal, just like all the other times. This time she was more prepared with more breezy clothes. That was interesting — living with Ieiri in this reality had changed her that much. The odd thing was, once all of her realities were stacked the way they were now, she was finally seeing what she'd never noticed before.
She tipped her head to her shoulder, the ice in her drink clinking. Ieiri was vacuuming the living room again. Ieiri was so nervous around her after the incident and it was grating. She'd never let herself get angry with someone for being afraid, but at the same time all she wanted was to just relax with Ieiri in their apartment. It would probably never be the same for the two of them again.
Seeing it all again through a different lens, she felt like a fool for being so afraid to admit she loved her. Ieiri was so patient, living with her and showing blatantly how she loved. She was quiet, but thoughtful. She didn't want it acknowledged. She only stepped in when asked. Now Ieiri was unsure of herself where she hadn't been before. It would probably never be the same for the two of them again.
"… unless." Utahime set her drink down on the table beside her.
Sarah and Tsukumo were still discussing how to lure out the filament creature again. The chat messages were going crazy as they blurted out thoughts to each other, bouncing around ideas. They were chasing the solution fiercely and had long since left Utahime behind. She was realizing her involvement in "the plot" wasn't meant to be as much as it appeared. That thought had struck her recently and it irritated her. Tengen and Kenjaku often compared their world to stories and games and now she understood why. There were patterns she'd followed, the same mistakes the same questions the same actions, but never anything that truly altered an outcome. She wasn't created to stand out.
But that wasn't what she wanted.
Tsukumo and Sarah were chasing it so hard because they had something they wanted. Her eyes flicked up to Ieiri, then back down to her phone. Ieiri was what she wanted, but not this one who was afraid of things she couldn't possibly know. She wanted the Ieiri who was able to make her own decisions.
She snatched up her phone off the table and walked directly up to Ieiri. Ieiri leaned down to turn off the vacuum, and Utahime asked, "I'm going in to Elysium with Tsukumo and Sarah."
Ieiri stared at her. "You mean, right now?" she asked.
Utahime hesitated. Her mouth wasn't just fucking saying what she wanted. So many years of keeping the very thought hidden was a hard wall to break. Then she inhaled, closed her eyes and said, "I'm staying there until we figure out how to do it. B-because I want it done to you first."
Ieiri made a soft sound and she heard her take a small step back. Utahime wanted to open her eyes, but she knew if she did she wouldn't be able to speak. "I want you to see what I've seen. Because we need to fix it. We need to fix what we… what I should be able to have."
"What are you talking about?" Ieiri whispered. Utahime was honestly expecting her cold fingers to touch at her jaw. If Ieiri wasn't so afraid of her, she would have.
"I need you to see what we've been through to get here," Utahime said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "I need you to see how stupid I've been and how stubborn I am. I've always been this same way no matter how we've tried to do this. You'll see what we can all have if we just finish this and then you'll understand why I need to go."
Ieiri finally reached out, those cold fingers of hers gripping onto Utahime's. "Why are you saying it like that? What are you saying?" Her words were catching, her brows bunching up.
"I'll be back, I promise," Utahime insisted, but Ieiri was already turning for the door.
"Then we'll go together," Ieiri said simply, grabbing a pair of socks out of a drawer on the end table by the door. "We'll go together."
Utahime didn't know what to say. Instead, she grabbed a pair of socks and reached for her shoes on the rack. Neither of them said anything, quietly putting on their shoes and grabbing their bags. They checked their phones, wallets — all the normal things one would check for just like any other day. Utahime grabbed her keys, passing Ieiri her own.
It wasn't until Ieiri's hand was on the doorknob that the tension finally broke.
"I want to fall in love with you."
Ieiri turned to face her faster than she was ready. Her hands were tugging at her breezy shirt and pulling Utahime into her — also faster than she was ready. She might have thought the kiss was also before she was ready, but once Ieiri's lips were on hers she knew she'd never stop it from happening again.
Ieiri drew back slowly, her fingertips covering her lips and her eyes down turned. Utahime's heart almost squeezed out between her ribcage to shake her by the shoulders.
"I'm not going to give up on this," Utahime said. Even then her words artfully dodged saying what she really wanted to say.
Ieiri nodded, wiping at the corner of her eye with her fingers before she smiled and gave her a sniffling nod.
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆
Tsukumo, Sarah, Utahime and Ieiri were all together taking their third precautionary check on their weapons and radios. This was already looking like it was going to be a long excursion, especially after the last one. Unfortunately, also preparing himself to join, was Kenjaku.
"The trees are starting to block our passage," Sarah explained. "They won't hurt us, but they don't want us to find the filament thing."
"Lazarus doesn't want you to find it," Kenjaku corrected her. "The resonates answer to him alone."
"Why does he even let us in then?" Tsukumo asked, "What is his angle even supposed to be?"
Kenjaku shrugged. "His job is to work with the Demiurge in some capacity," he said, then grinned. "Our Lord works in mysterious ways."
"Shut the fuck up," Tsukumo spat, "just answer our questions without the quips."
"He likely cannot control Sarah's actions," Kenjaku explained. "She isn't completely made of positive energy like most resonates so she has more free will than the other creations. Her people don't want to hurt her since she is like them, but they can't disobey Lazarus either."
"If we need to, I'll lure them away," Sarah said with a wave of her hand. "Let's just get in there."
The five of them landed in the pink field by the wisteria tree. From their vantage point on the hill they could already see the scrambling figures of the trees coming their direction from anywhere and everywhere. Utahime and Ieiri started to pull their weapons, but Tsukumo and Sarah turned the opposite direction and started to sprint. The other two women got the message quick and moved to join them along with Kenjaku.
"Ready?" Tsukumo asked, glancing over at Sarah.
She nodded, tugging a box cutter out of her back pocket. Taking one look back at Utahime and Ieiri, she waited until they'd acknowledged her before tearing the blade down the top of her forearm. Light burst from the wound, shivering in the air before fading off into the distance. Snapping the blade shut, she quickly shoved it back in her pocket.
"Get ready," Tsukumo called over her shoulder.
The approaching tree creatures were tumbling over each other in waves behind them. Their body's cracked and shattered only to grasp one another and build something entirely new. Their cloths stitched themselves together, the patterns amplifying and morphing into one another.
Tsukumo reached out for Sarah's arm, linking it with hers. The two of them abruptly turned directly towards the wave and charged. Then suddenly Tsukumo had Sarah up over her shoulders. She planted her feet and in a huge force enhanced by her technique, they launched at the wave.
The trees parted for Sarah, their shape jerking away and opening up a tear in their fabric. Three curses manifested by Kenjaku carried Ieiri, Utahime and himself through dodging the stretching and reaching branches and threads before it shut itself off.
On the other side, Tsukumo and Sarah continued their sprint. Their goal for this excursion was the clarifying pool. The wave would take time to turn and attempt to block their path again. Two more curses manifested beneath Tsukumo and Sarah, the creatures taking off to keep the pace going.
Tsukumo pointed ahead to the pool of water and shouted, "Go now?"
Sarah shouted back, pointing at the wave behind them, "Go ahead! I'll take it around so you'll have more time!"
Even from above it was clear something was wrong. The normally glittering crystals were dimmed and the grass was tinted brown rather than it's normal jewel like green. Tsukumo was the first to land near the edge and she cautiously approached just as the others were landing behind her.
"Why is it dying?" Ieiri asked, bending down to touch at the grass. It was crunchy — crispy like something burnt. It fell apart in her fingers, blowing away in the breeze.
Utahime stood beside Tsukumo at the water. "There was one here that used to talk," Utahime said, watching as Tsukumo dared to dip a finger into the water. "It said that this place wouldn't last forever. Maybe this is where it's supposed to end?"
Kenjaku narrowed his eyes as Tsukumo pulled her hand away from the water. "What was the purpose of this place?"
"It's supposed to erase false memories," Tsukumo explained, turning towards him once she'd stood. "Sarah was supposed to use it for after she'd equalized too much false information."
Kenjaku didn't answer, instead stepping closer to the water. He squat down, watching the tiny waves left in the surface of the water after Tsukumo had touched it. Then slowly he reached out, spreading his fingers and smoothly pulling them through the water. Then he lifted it back out, holding the liquid in his palm.
"This," he said, still staring at it as it dripped over and back into the water, "is not water."
A clanging sound suddenly echoed in the air, like wind chimes. The crystals began to light up, all the grass around standing on end. Ieiri and Utahime hurried to Tsukumo's side, the two of them drawing their weapons while Tsukumo scanned the area above. The sounds of the chimes crashed and grated, yet sounded miles and miles away. The air felt dense, like something heavy was filling the space between every atom.
It's been some time, hasn't it friend?
Kenjaku shook of his palm, then stood up slowly. He adjusted the front of his robes before turning and putting on a smile. "Lazarus. It has been quite some time."
Lazarus stood abnormally still. His tawny skin was cracked and leaking with drips of golden light. His eyes were stained yellow and his mouth blackened and glittering with stars. The light bent around his figure into almost a rainbow haze and his every breath seemed to move the breeze itself. His eyes were solely locked onto Kenjaku. The air was prickling with static.
What are you seeking, friend?
It paused between its question and the title of friend almost as if it had to decide if that was still the truth or not. For a moment it's eyes rolled back before he blinked them slowly forward again. He smiled and it almost looked human.
"I want to end it, same as you," Kenjaku said with a chuckle. "Though I wonder which of us appears more desperate?" His eyes narrowed and he looked up and down Lazarus' crackling body. "That body won't hold up much longer. I hope you've brought a spare."
The body is for recognition. It is no longer required for me to be housed by mortal means.
"Tell me your vow, Lazarus," Kenjaku suddenly said, his voice wavering.
Tsukumo, Utahime and Ieiri backed away slowly towards the crystals for cover. The air was whipping harder now with every breath from Lazarus. His shoulders were starting to rise and fall with his increasingly heavy breaths.
"Tell me," Kenjaku urged, "please Lazarus. I can help you."
Lazarus' laugh sounded sharp and his face twisted into a mad smile. He craned his head back, letting his mouth hang open.
Re-write this world until everyone gets what they want.
Kenjaku opened his mouth, then shut it. Without a word, he stepped closer to Lazarus until he was standing right in front of him.
"Who gets what they want — us four?" Kenjaku asked, fighting to keep his voice calm. It was hard to tell if he was excited or frightened.
Everyone.
"Everyone," Kenjaku echoed, smiling now. "As in—"
You and I talked at great length about this topic didn't we? What kind of person would we become if we were all one?
Kenjaku nodded, then his brows dropped as a realization was hitting him.
It's so very hard to get people to agree on one singular thing and I've tried for so long — well, you know. You've been playing your role well.
"You want to merge us all to make one desire?" Kenjaku asked. His body was starting to shake and he smiled again. "That is… to end it that way would be—"
Against her wishes, yes. But you said it yourself, you want it to end. So do I.
Kenjaku turned slowly towards Tsukumo, Ieiri and Utahime. Then his eyes widened as Sarah descended right in front of them, already brandishing the box cutter in front of her. Her hands were shaking. Tsukumo stepped up beside her, the both of them moving closer in defense.
"Call her here," Kenjaku said, keeping his eyes on the sorcerers. "I want to ask her myself."
Are you sure? She is not going to forgive you.
"She never would have in the first place."
From the pool of water behind them, the filament slowly began to unwind itself from within the pond. It formed a vaguely human shape, the light scattering fractured colored beams from the crystals around the basin.
Sarah and Tsukumo darted back towards Utahime and Ieiri, stepping back as far as they could get into the wall of crystal. The threads of light began to stretch from the filament, reaching towards Kenjaku. He accepted its touch and cleared his throat as its dragged the light slowly over his face.
"You won't stop us?" He asked, "You'll really let us go won't you?"
The strings traced along his jaw, then down his chin. They traced his throat and over his eyebrows before eventually drawing back.
"Please," he said softly. "Please let it end."
You want it to end?
The filament turned to look at the sorcerers. It tilted its head before the threads began to reach down towards each of them.
Then I will let it end.
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