1,447Welcome back to another edition.
Let's get into this.
BetaReaders: Angra Mainyu, BFTyrant, Chris, Daki, Rockmean, Luxutor, ReallyRey, Hackerman27, Viola, Jasonzzldude, Tupjunk, and Megadumbo.
...
In the waters South of the continent of Anima, a few days had passed since Yuji and his companions departed the port town of Argus, finding ways to occupy themselves on the endless seas.
Itadori and Blake sat along a railing on the bow of the ship, staring out at the crashing waves.
Yuji hummed, "So...what's it like?"
The Faunus quirked a brow, "What's what like?"
"Home."
"You already know the gist of it."
"Only the bad parts."
"There's a lot of bad parts, Yuj."
"And I'm sure there are good parts too, but people only like focusin' on one or the other, like...back...back in my time, foreigners would praise Japan like we were some paradise because we had low crime and...well, anime, I guess?"
Blake eyed him, "More complicated than that?"
Yuji nodded along, "Yeah. I didn't keep track of stuff like that. Politics kinda bores me, ya know? Curses aside, we had all kinds of harsh rules and punishments...working any kind of normal job there would make anyone go nuts, but people only focused on the stuff that sounded cool and ignored all the rest."
"Sounds about right. Don't get me wrong, I...I don't hate Menagerie. It's the closest thing the Faunus have to something of our own, but the fact we even need it pisses me off."
The raven-haired teen stared down at the choppy water, "Faunus used to live in the kingdoms and only left because we were treated so poorly-"
"This one time, when Adam and I were on a mission, I overheard an SDC guard, some woman, call the island a zoo, and it really bothered me, not because of the insult but because it was true."
"We're locked in a cage playing around with whatever garbage humans don't want while they watch us and throw pity peanuts every now and then, like this ship we're on-"
Yuji nudged the metal bar with a foot, "What about it?"
"Atlas barred trade with Menagerie years ago, but every kingdom has a diaspora of Faunus, and, rules be damned, those people need to be appeased, so trade and foreign aid happen under the radar."
"...Well, if this is so bad, what would you have the situation be?"
"I don't know. I'm not really much of an idealist, Yuji."
"There's no use complaining if you don't have ideas on how to make things better, even if they're complicated."
"Eugh..I...I don't know, okay? Part of me wishes that Menagerie didn't exist in the way it does, an unofficial nation of Faunus and only Faunus, but more...fair. We can't just run off to our own little island because we were discriminated against and do the same to people who don't deserve it. You're just making a cycle that has no end in sight."
"But?"
"...It's where I grew up, so change is scary."
Itadori contemplated something, cupping his chin, "Huh...that lady said somethin' real similar."
Blake leaned back against the thin railing, resting her head against her elbows as she observed the clouds, "Who?"
"Sienna Khan."
"We never did talk much about you meeting her."
"Yeah, it happened pretty fast before all that crazy stuff went down."
"So...what did she say?"
"Basically, that Menagerie isn't something pretty, but it's yours."
"That's sort of how most people there think if I'm being honest. Things aren't great...or good, but at least it's ours. That has to count for something, so they're protective and angry."
Blake awkwardly smiled, "You're gonna make fun of me-"
Yuji shook his head, "You know I won't. We're friends."
"Right. Sorry, it's just...nerves. I don't usually talk about stuff like this."
"I got no room to judge."
"Pfft. I guess we're both a couple of liars, huh?"
The two shared a short laugh before the Faunus continued, "...We never really had much growing up. My parents were White Fang in the protest days, but my dad just couldn't get behind what they were doing...always told me he might've kept going, but...then I showed up."
"He's kind of intimidating, big guy, with a long beard and a stare that'll make most people start shaking, but he's really sweet, and my mom? Well...we look the same, but she's a lot more tan...probably nicer, too."
Yuji chuckled, making her raise a brow, "What?"
The vessel looked down at her, "Blake, I can tell ya right now, I've met some evil people. You're not mean."
"I-"
"Maybe a little standoffish, but that just makes things interesting. Like I gotta stay on my toes so we can be buddies."
The Faunus rolled her eyes with a smile, lightly kicking him with a foot, "Are you going to let me talk or what, dork?"
Yuji raised his hands in surrender, so Blake pressed on, "Anyway, yeah. We never really had much in the way of food or money growing up, and that's the problem with life on Menagerie. If you want anything, and I mean ANYTHING, it has to be through the White Fang. It's like they punish you for wanting nothing to do with the conflict by making you even poorer than the average person."
"They own the ports. They own the stores. They own everything, and things are always changing hands with the constant infighting; you just never know who controls what. The whole place is a mess."
"It's why I tried stealing when I was a kid...mom and dad always made sure I ate and had books and whatever else, but there wasn't much to go around, and I just...hated seeing them so tired, like they hadn't slept in days."
"...God, were they mad when they found out I joined. I left pretty soon after, never even visited when I was back on the island."
Yuji didn't react, "Sounds like it would've been a fight."
"That's what I told myself, but I'm starting to think I was just embarrassed and couldn't admit I made a big mistake...part of me's wondering if they'd even want to see me."
"Don't say dumb stuff, Blake. That's my thing."
"Hm?"
"Family ain't just about being there for the good times. It's having the trust to pick each other up when you screw up...it's kinda interesting now that I think about it-"
"What is?"
"Well. I'm fifteen, and you're seventeen. Our lives have basically just started and both of us keep thinking about mistakes and regrets when we aren't even halfway through with it."
Blake sat up, "That's weird coming from you. Never thought you put much thought into...well, you."
"Normally, I don't, but...-"
The vessel shrugged, "When I was out cold in Mistral, I had...a moment and got things put into perspective, but you're right. Before, I just...never thought about myself or my place in things or anything like that, just...coasting by, but...it's different now."
"I'm thinking about what I want in life and trying to figure out who I wanna be someday, but one thing's really hitting home more than anything."
Blake scooted closer, "What?"
Yuji put a hand on her shoulder, giving his usual goofy grin, "We might be in a rush to stop Cinder, but we've always got time to figure stuff out. What matters is that you put the effort in to start something, so if ya want, we can stop by and hang out."
"You want to hang out with my parents?"
"If it'll make you happy, yeah. I know stuff like this can get awkward, so I'll be there if you want me there."
Blake's expression dropped.
Yuji tilted his head, "Somethin' wrong?"
She soon recovered, smiling a little more as she ruffled his hair, "Nothing. That's just...really sweet of you."
The dark-haired girl paused, her feline ears twitching, making Itadori quirk a brow, "What's up?"
She pointed toward the horizon, "We're almost there. I can hear the waves hitting the shore...weird, I...you haven't seen any other ships, have you?"
Yuji scanned their surroundings, putting a hand over his forehead, "No, but...should I have?"
"Yeah. There's...always a bunch of trawlers and pontoons fishing around the island. We get most of our food from the ocean, and on a clear day like this? There should be...hundreds."
The two sat in silence, just staring at the distant landmass over an all-too-calm ocean.
...
...
The closer they got to the island, the more frustrated Blake seemed to get, looking in every direction for any sign of activity yet finding nothing until they neared the shore, and as the port of Kuo Khana came into view-
"Oh my God."
The Faunus paled, staring out ahead with an aghast look on her face, looking at a silent, watery grave as hundreds of vessels lay broken in the harbor and the surrounding seas.
The island was far away, but even from here, they could see rising plumes of smoke.
The ship suddenly lurched, dropping anchor as the motors cut, and soon enough, it stopped moving entirely.
Blake's confusion quickly turned to anger, "What the hell? Why did we stop!?"
Itadori hopped from his perch, "I dunno, but we ain't gonna get answers standing here."
The two ran across the deck, past countless cargo containers, making their way to the bridge, only for a metallic door to open before they could reach it, with Torchwick and Neo stepping out.
The older thief sighed as he noticed them, "Bad news, kiddos. The ride ends here."
Blake scoffed, "End? Do you see what's out there!? People could be hurt, and we're just going to sit here?!"
"It's what we can't see that's got the crew spooked, and unless you wanna convince the Captain to risk hitting one of the sunken wrecks, this baby's not moving."
She threw her hands in the air, "Fantastic."
Yuji stepped ahead, "So...if we knew the way was safe, he'd-"
Roman shrugged, "Probably, but unless you gotta submarine, that isn't-"
*BWOO-
Blake stuck a hand out, making Yuji skid to a stop, "Eh?"
Her yellow eyes narrowed into a glare, "I'm coming with."
"...You good at holdin' your breath?"
"I'll manage."
Neo made a few signs with her hands, and Roman shrugged, "Hang on, I'll ask. What are you two up t-"
*BWOOOOOSH
Yuji took off running at inhuman speeds, a gust of wind blasting over them, with Blake casually firing a grapple from Gambol Shroud, the device wrapping around his waist as he leaped into the skies, diving into the blue below as she clung to his back.
The water was warm and clear, but the depths reached so far down it appeared as nothing more than an abyss below them.
Yuji scanned his surroundings, only for Blake to tap his shoulder, pointing into the distance as she squinted against the salty brine.
The vessel nodded, shooting forward at top speeds, coming upon a small, two-seater riverboat, nowhere near big enough to handle the ocean waves, finding the craft devoid of any signs of life, but-
The thing looked like it had been torn apart, with jagged bits of metal torn out of the small hull and what looked like the imprint of a fist going through the headrest of the driver's seat.
All around them were similar vessels in a comparative state of destruction.
What the hell happened here?
Soon enough, Blake needed air, and Yuji shot for the surface.
As the sorcerer hovered in place, he stared off at the distant island, "...Something's seriously wrong here."
Blake panted, swiping her black hair away, "A Grimm couldn't have done that."
"There's Grimm in the ocean?"
"There's Grimm everywhere, but they follow rules, you know? Match the environment. But, I've...never seen one with-"
"Hands?"
"The ones that try to drown you do, but they aren't strong enough to punch through metal like that."
"...How about we swim to shore and take a look around?"
Blake nodded, and with that, they went off.
...
...
A bit later
*Drip-Drop...Drip-Drop
The waves crashed against a sandy beach as the soaked pair made their way out of the water.
Blake huffed, raising her scroll, "I'll send Torchwick a message to call when they get here, but it'll probably take a while for them to get close enough to dock. Let's see if we can...find someone who can explain all this."
Yuji tried reaching out, "If you're worried about your parents, we can-"
She ignored him, marching across the beach and up a ramshackle staircase made from rotting wooden planks, heading toward town.
Itadori sighed, soon chasing after her.
Once the vessel crossed the final step, he saw Blake standing in the middle of a desolate road, staring around at the endless nothing of it all.
It was somehow worse than the sea. At least out on the open water, you could tell yourself that it wasn't a place meant for people, that it's meant to be empty, but here?
There were supposed to be thousands-
And there was nothing.
Menagerie was a poor place with a nonexistent skyline. The highest structures went up a few floors at most, moving up from the low-lying coast to the hilltops above.
The buildings were a mixed bag; you'd have a well-kept but antiquated store next to an all-but-rotting apartment complex with bars over the windows and a sheet metal roof up top.
But this-
It was different-
There was wreckage and debris everywhere, from shattered glass to ejected dust cartridges, with makeshift barricades at defensive points around the neighborhood, each torn clean through as if something had barreled straight into it at a ridiculous speed, and those that weren't-
Well, the giant impact craters left against the building walls said something got in, one way or another, but-
Where were the bodies?
Blake cupped her hands, "Hello!?"
The silence made her go quiet, mumbling, "...The air sirens aren't going off, so they can't be in the shelters...not unless-"
The cat-eared girl walked through an opening in what used to be a bakery, flicking a light switch, and nothing happened-
"Another blackout?...I thought Sienna fixed that years ago?"
Yuji walked in behind her, "No power?"
Blake shook her head, putting a hand on her hip, "When I was a kid, the White Fang blew up a few police stations in Mantle, and Atlas bombarded our electric grid in response, generators, transformers, the whole thing...we used to have to go about five hours a day without electricity...at least until Sienna built new ones underground."
Itadori looked around, approaching the counter and looking over a sign that listed the prices. There was a little cartoon drawing of a happy sun that said 'Kids eat free' written next to it.
He noticed Blake staring at a smashed frame on the ground of an old couple: an old man with a turtle shell around his torso, leaning against his cane, and a woman with what looked like fish scales around her neck.
The vessel walked up next to her, not saying a word, but Blake started talking anyway, "...I used to go here a lot."
He nodded, "Good people?"
"If it wasn't for them, I probably would've starved."
...
...
Yuji suddenly sniffed at the air, walking off toward a door leading into the back of the store.
Blake curiously followed behind, "Where are you going?"
He didn't stop moving, "I smell blood."
The words made the teenage girl stop in place, and without warning, Yuji grabbed the handle and swung it open, revealing-
A makeshift bed made of mats, blankets, and pillows, coated in dried out, red flakes, with a massive hole in the wall, with sunlight peaking in.
Yuji followed the trail, noticing a pair of handprints against the crumbled wall, glancing back to see his partner staring down at a fallen cane against the floor.
He cleared his throat, "...Trail goes outside. Do you need a sec, or-"
Blake shook her head, walking ahead, making eye contact for a brief moment, "I'm fine."
The teenage girl climbed outside, letting out a sigh, "Menagerie is always like this. You get used to people dying after a while."
Itadori followed after her, the sunlight glossing over them as they entered a narrow alleyway filled with garbage and a few curious rats scurrying over a trail of dried blood, "I know you don't mean that."
Blake kept walking, "...I don't even know what I mean half the time, but what use is there sulking around when I can be doing something useful?"
"There's being useful and not letting yourself be upset."
"...Big words coming from the guy who calls himself a cog."
...
...
Blake paused, "I...I shouldn't have said that-"
Yuji stopped, ignoring the crunch of broken glass beneath his feet, "It's fine...but, for real, you aren't like me, Blake."
"Really? Because from what I've heard, we've both made mistakes we can't come back from. It's basically the cornerstone of why...why we work the way we do. I've screwed up, and so have you."
"Yeah, and those screw-ups got people killed, but us having that in common ain't the only reason we're friends. What kinda messed up dynamic is that?"
"It's kind of fitting, don't you think? Company in suffering?"
"...You're dark."
She looked down at herself, raising a brow, "You're just noticing that now?"
Yuji scoffed, "Well, I don't think that way, at least."
"I don't either. I'm just...look, everyone has their way of dealing with bad things, and mine is curling into myself. I say things I don't mean, I-"
"I get it. You know me, I say dumb stuff for a living."
"...So-"
"So...what?"
"Why aren't we alike?"
Yuji crossed his arms, "...It's nothing, just...the obvious. You've got a purpose, and I don't. I sorta just coast through life with vague feelings in my head, like protecting my friends."
He chuckled, "It's embarrassing to admit, but...I can't hold a belief to save my life. Until recently, I just followed what my teachers wanted to do, and now that it's finally sunk in that I'm on my own, I just feel kinda lost...not in a sad way, but more...I don't know what to do...but you-"
...
...
Yuji took more than a few seconds to word himself, "You've got a stake with the Faunus-"
Blake lightly smiled, "What? Not gonna say, 'Your people?'"
"Nah. It wouldn't be accurate."
"Accurate?"
"Well, saying 'your people' makes it seem like it's you and them versus the world, but you've got human friends and-"
Itadori patted at his stomach, "Kechizu and Eso and me."
"We're all sorta your people, right?"
...
...
The Raven-haired girl looked away bashfully, "Yeah, I guess you are. Not like I've been the best company...but you know that stuff applies to you too, right?"
Yuji shrugged, "I dunno if it does."
"Don't be dramatic."
"I'm not, but...there'd have to be a goal for you guys to be with me on."
"Fighting Sukuna isn't enough?"
"It's not like I have much of a reason. He'll be more of a problem if he isn't stopped."
"After everything he's done to you, and you still don't-"
Blake sighed, "Seriously, what is with you and not wanting to hate someone."
Itadori raised a hand, "Hang on, I never said I don't hate people. I just don't let that be the reason I do anything."
"...Do you know why I left this island?"
"Wasn't it-"
Blake stepped forward, "Why I REALLY left?"
"..."
"My parents."
"What?"
"I...I love my mom and dad, okay? But they're just so...passive. Our lives are living hell, and all they can do is sit there in their shitty little house and say, 'Things can be worse,' and they hated it when I said, 'Things can be better."
Blake huffed, "We fought about this for years, and every time I said I was tired of the bombardments, tired of not being able to go outside without risking my life or worrying I'd come home to a pile of rubble, they'd get on my case for 'being too emotional,' and that I needed 'to use my head."
"Well, I'm going to tell you, after letting things go too far from one way, that it's a two-way street. There's being too upset, and then there's refusing to be a person, and I've heard you ramble to your brothers about being human. I know it means something to you, and if you want any proof that humans can be bad, look around you because I know without a shred of doubt that Atlas had something to do with this."
Yuji dropped his shoulders, "What do you want me to say, Blake?"
"I don't want you to say anything. I just need you to know that leaning so hard on one side while not accepting the other is just going to make you fall flat on your face. You're my friend, and I don't want that for you because believe me, that wave of realization, that feeling of, 'I fucked up,' hits so hard, you won't know left from right."
"...I-"
*Clang-Clang-Clang
Something metal rattled up ahead, cutting the conversation short as the pair wordlessly charged forward, rounding a corner to see-
Nothing.
There was no one there, but-
Yuji sniffed at the air, "There it is again."
The sorcerer walked ahead, with Blake following suit, the older girl staring at his back, "How good is your nose?"
"Huh?"
"Faunus have pretty good senses compared to humans, and I don't even catch some of the things you do."
"I dunno, blood's just one of the things I'm better with. I figure 'cause, ya know, Blood Manipulation?"
*CRACK
A bloody eye appeared on the vessel's cheek alongside an open mouth, with Kechizu's voice billowing out, "Right and wrong, little brother."
"Oh, hey. How was your nap?"
"Eh. It's not as good when you don't have a body. Your mind sorta just goes blank for a while, but-"
The Half-Curse yawned, "I ain't gonna bore ya with the details. I just wanted to point out you're wrong."
Yuji blanked, "...Why?"
"It's what big brothers do."
"Well, if you're gonna be out here, wanna explain what you mean?"
"You break down whatever Cursed Objects you eat and have three man-eaters in your head. Call it muscle memory or whatever, but you got predator instincts from one of us."
Yuji cringed but said nothing, and after a moment-
Kechizu hummed, "Ohh."
Blake suppressed her disgust, "What is it?"
"You're dealing with one now...yeah, I see it. Oy, little brother, lemme borrow an arm."
Kechizu pointed toward four identical imprints on the ground, with a faint trickle of blood in the center, "...Crawled on all fours, probably had 'em in their mouth-"
He looked to the side, noticing a worn yet recently polished shoe slumped against the ground as if it had been kicked off, "...still alive too."
Blake grimaced, "So...if it were you...where would you bring them?"
"Underground subway tracks. If you throw a body in front of one of them fast-moving trains, it gets chalked up to a suicide."
Yuji smacked the side of his face, making his brother disappear, "Alright, enough of that."
The vessel sighed, "Sorry, you know he goes way too far with the details...Blake?"
The Faunus was staring at the ground, cupping her chin, "...Disappear."
She pointed a finger at him, "Keep following the trail. I think I have an idea."
Yuji nodded, sniffing at the air before wandering off down the maze-like corridors filled with decades-old trash, "So, you gonna tell me?"
The raven-haired teen followed close behind, "We didn't see any Atlesian aircraft on our way here."
"And?"
"They always have a few parked offshore to keep an eye on us and keep the world and media out. A single flyby of a news bullhead could ruin decades of PR work, and no outlet's dumb enough to send a human or outsider onto the streets of Menagerie; they'd get torn apart."
"So...if that's normal, what changed?"
"If I had to guess, after what happened in Mistral, they needed those units somewhere else, so...whatever they did, couldn't leave any evidence you could spot from above."
A few moments later, they came upon a rusted metal door swung wide open, a foul stench coming from within, the smell of copper and rot so intense that they didn't need Yuji to confirm what they already knew.
...
...
Blake was just staring at it, her eyes focused on a shredded shirt caught along the door, with claw marks torn clean through.
Yuji spoke up, "Hey-"
She didn't respond.
He put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey."
The Faunus jumped a bit, "H-huh? What?"
"We can take our time with this."
"No. We can't."
"We can."
"Every second we wait, another person's life is at risk."
"You're shaking."
Blake looked down at her trembling hands, unable to even hold her firearm, making her hiss, "I'm fine."
Yuji leaned closer, "Well, I'm not fine seeing you not be fine."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're hurting. The place you're from is destroyed and-"
"It's always destroyed, Yuji."
"Not like this. Bust a building down, and people will eventually fix it back up, but when there's no one there-"
He gestured around at the silent warzone, "It just rots."
...
...
*Drip...Drip
Blake gave a tiny gasp in surprise, watching as droplets fell to the ground below, dragging a finger along her face, "...Oh."
Itadori sighed, hating seeing his friend like this, so-
Yuji opened his arms, "Hug it out?"
Blake tensed, "We're too old for that."
He gently smiled, "I'm not."
The raven-haired girl stood silently, staring at the ground before-
*Fwip
She wrapped her arms around the sorcerer, digging her face into his robe so he couldn't see her, mumbling, "...You're lucky I'm understanding."
Yuji could feel her tears staining through his clothes, so he did what felt right, gently rubbing circles on her back, "Yeah. I sure am."
A few moments passed in silence, and soon, the sorcerer spoke, "I mean it. We don't gotta do this right now."
Blake didn't respond, so he pressed on, "I've been thinking lately. A lot of my mistakes came from rushing into things and not considering the big picture. So, why don't we try to find someone who can tell us what's going on?"
...
...
The catgirl's hold tightened, "You're talking about my parents, aren't you?"
Yuji nodded, "It can't hurt. I'm sure you're worried about them."
"...What if they're gone?"
"What if they're not?"
"I don't even know what I'd say."
"Then don't say anything. Walk through that front door like you always do, and if they get pissed, I'll let 'em take it out on me."
Blake sighed, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
Itadori shook his head, "Nah."
"I hate having friends like you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Always pushing me out of my bubble...I like my bubble."
"Sucks that you're fun to hang out with 'cause Ima keep bugging you."
...
...
Blake silently pulled back, taking a step away to stare up at the clouds, "...Fine, but I need some time to clear my head. I need to do something."
Yuji nodded, "Sure, whaddya have in mind?"
The catgirl looked toward a nearby street, a glint appearing in her eyes as she spotted a set of wheels, giving a tiny smile at the vessel, "...Wanna go for a ride?"
...
...
*Click-Click-CRRRRRR
Buildings passed by in a gentle blur as Blake pedaled her way down a street with Yuji riding the pegs, throwing his open arm out as he waved to a nonexistent crowd, "Yo!"
As the vessel dropped his hands back onto the cat girl's shoulders for support, she glanced up with a smirk, looking back ahead, letting out a laugh, "What're you, a tourist?"
"I'm a tourist every day!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, Mr. Tourist, how about I show you all my favorite parts of Menagerie all in one go?"
"Let's do it!"
Blake pedaled harder, the pair zooming down a desolate stretch of roadway.
Eventually, they came upon a massive ditch in the center of one of the side streets, filled to the brim with green water, with the Faunus circling around.
Blake snickered, "Back when I was younger, the local fishermen would dump the stock they didn't want in here and let us kids try to catch some."
Yuji hummed, "Really? That's nice of 'em. Was it fun?"
"Oh, that wasn't the fun part. See, if you were good at it, they'd try to force you onto a boat and spend all day at sea-"
"They could do that!?"
"If your parents didn't have a gun, yeah."
Blake shrugged, "The fun was getting them interested in you, then running away! Oh, we used to have this great obstacle course. I wonder if-"
The Faunus pedaled down an alleyway, pointing at an opening in a wall, "Those people never had glass windows, just a curtain, so we'd dive in, run through the living room, and out the front door-"
The sorcerer hummed, "They never tried to stop you?"
"No, one of the kids in our group was theirs, so they sort of let it fly. Everyone hated the fishermen for jocking up prices, so it's what they got."
She turned, heading down the road, "See that drainage ditch? We used to stash rocks and old fruit there and have archers on the roof rain fire down on top of them."
Yuji whistled, looking at the highrises made of rickety wood and rusted metal, "Dang, you guys climbed up that high?"
Blake rolled her eyes, "Some Faunus can climb."
"Can you?"
"I use a grappling hook. You tell me."
"I dunno. Wouldn't it be rude to think you can do cat stuff because you're part cat?"
"Not if you don't mean it in a bad way. I mean, people have questions, and that's fine. Would you get mad if I asked about being Half-Curse?"
"Eh? Not really, but I can't promise you'd get a satisfying answer. It's all sorta complicated, like one of those things you can't put into words."
Blake hummed, "Yeah, that's usually how it goes."
Yuji was quiet for a moment, "...Optimized is the word I'd use."
"Optimized? Like-"
"For sorcery. We have certain perks that regular people don't. Like Blood Manipulation, it's a technique that comes from the Kamo Clan, and between you and me, it's pretty crap. The body's only got so much blood, and you can go into shock if you use too much."
"From what I saw in Mistral, gonna go out on a limb and guess that's not an issue for you guys?"
"Yeah, we can just turn Cursed Energy into blood. It's stuff like that or how Cursed Spirits are weak to positive energy, but I can use it with no problem. We're just a weird mix of both worlds."
"I kinda get that. Having the extra ears lets me listen in on things people think I can't hear, but there's always downsides."
Blake rolled her eyes, "Everything's always so loud. I swear, I'm gonna get Tinnitus when I'm older. Is it like that for you?"
Yuji nodded, "...Between you and me, ever since I became a Death Painting, it's been really hard calming down after a fight."
"That's pretty normal. Can't just flip a switch when serious stuff happens."
"I know, but...Cursed Spirits are made of negative energy and emotions, so... wouldn't it make sense if that part of me like...feeds off of it when I'm revved up?"
"Maybe, but it doesn't have to control you. I know it's not really the same, but...sometimes-"
Blake grumbled, "Can't believe I'm admitting this, but...sometimes, I wanna do cat stuff."
Yuji leaned over her head, "Like what?"
"You know...eat fish and sit on a high perch and watch people."
"You do that now."
"Not all the time!... Just, sometimes...but my point is that you might have the urge to act a certain way, but that doesn't mean you have to follow through on it; that'd just make us animals in every sense of the word."
The dark-haired girl peddled down the street, "Human, Faunus, even Half Curses, we're smart enough to understand the world around us, to function beyond instinct and make something great, not that we always act like it."
"We screw up. We hate people. We act in ways that go against all logic and reason, and that's the Curse of intelligence. You know you can do better, but you still make the wrong choices and have to live with those feelings after, but you're the one who decides what you do with them."
"Look at your brothers. I'm not gonna pretend they aren't scary, but...we can't act like they don't have human emotions. I know they killed people and that they've done things that make me sick, but..."
"I feel bad for them."
"My stomach tells me to run, but my mind can't help but think of the terrible hand they've been given, how I kind of understand it, and it makes me want to help them."
"You're in control of yourself, Yuji. It's always up to you on where you go with it."
The sorcerer was quiet, and after a few moments, Blake smiled, "How about I show you another place I used to go?"
...
...
Blake biked through a veritable treasure map's worth of twists and turns, eventually coming upon a small open field covered in a mix of yellow and green grass with various objects scattered around.
There were a few slides and, a set of tire swings hanging off a few trees, even a sandpit with plastic shovels lying around. The whole place looked like it was made on a tight budget.
The Faunus hopped off, holding her arms to her sides and taking in a deep breath, "This takes me back."
Yuji looked around, nudging a rusted roundabout with his foot as it let off an ungodly metallic screech, "...Cool park."
"It has its charms...wanna go on the swing?"
"Sure."
The pair soon sat into a pair of tires, with Yuji making sure not to fall into a pool of water inside the worn-out piece of rubber, kicking their legs back and forth as they got higher and higher with each motion.
The vessel stared at his companion for a moment, "You spend a lot of time here as a kid?"
Blake tilted her head, "My parents used to take me, but after a while, I just came here on my own-"
She pointed up at a clunky wooden bridge connecting two slides together, "See that spot up there? I used to dangle my legs off the side and read my books all day until I came home with sunburn."
The vessel chuckled, "Really? You don't tan?"
"Pfft. No. I look a lot like my mom, but that skipped over me."
"Ohhh, I just figured you didn't spend a lot of time outside."
"Well, there's not much to do on Menagerie. Internet's restricted."
"No TV?"
"If you have one, all you'll see is White Fang propaganda. Sock puppet shows that say humans are all bad, that kind of thing."
"Sounds boring."
"You have no idea. For a long while, it was just us kids, and then after a while, I just hung out here, sort of my escape from everything. The whole city is a slum, but this is the one sort of nice place you could relax."
She awkwardly smiled, "So, I had my perch."
Itadori stared at the spot for a moment, "What about your friends?"
"...What about them?"
"Well, did you ever hang out with them here?"
"...Yeah. We did, but...you know how it is."
Blake suddenly stopped swinging, her momentum declining, "People grow apart and stop talking."
...
...
Yuji's expression dropped, "...They're gone, aren't they?"
Blake looked down, "...It's just what happens on Menagerie."
The Faunus sighed, "You never know how, just that one day, someone you knew all your life disappears, and you never see them again. It could've been Atlas, the White Fang, a murder, maybe a complete accident...after it happens enough times, friend groups just disperse."
"No one wants to risk losing more, so we close ourselves off, not that it does any good."
"You spend so much time wondering if, somehow, they're still out there."
"I'd walk the same paths we always took, hoping to see them or...maybe just get a little of what we had back, but the feeling sort of faded the more I did it, and eventually-"
"There was just me."
"I didn't want it to be like that, but everything that's left of them is somewhere in my head. There's no grave to visit or some shrine to leave them flowers. It just drags you down after a while."
Yuji looked to her, "...No grave?"
Blake bit her cheek, "The settlements are packed. We just don't have enough room to have cemeteries, and if you bury them outside the cities, then a Grimm will dig them up."
She put a hand over her mouth, mumbling, "They dump them out at sea, so at least that way, no one has to see it happen."
...
...
Yuji grimaced, "...It's never easy having to accept that you'll never see them again, not in this life at least."
The vessel spared Blake from knowing the sheer distance between her and those she lost.
They were out there, somewhere in the Cursed Realm, but you'd never find them, Nanami aside.
The Faunus slowly looked at him, "It was...but it's gotten a little easier."
Itadori hummed, "I'm glad."
"You helped me get there, you know?"
"..."
"Having a friend like you, someone who gets it...well, it's been nice just being able to put things out there and not get looked at like you're crazy-"
"Or have people feel bad for you?"
"That too."
"It's just a big grey area. You want someone to understand it, but...you know what it takes to get there."
Yuji sighed, "I hate that I ruined their lives...Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and my own teammates. They're never gonna forget what happened in Mistral."
Blake shook her head, "You didn't ruin anything. That wasn't you."
"Sukuna is my responsibility."
"Why is he your responsibility? Why not-"
"Because no one else can be his vessel. I don't know why my mom made me the way she did, but...I'm able to keep him down, and that's all that matters to me. I can do something, so I will."
"...Just don't do it alone, alright?"
"I won't."
Yuji's grip tightened, "I just need to get better, not just for Sukuna, but everything else. I gotta think in the long-term if I wanna be part of your guys' world."
...
...
The cat girl sadly smiled, "That's what I respect about you and your brothers."
Yuji tilted his head, "Hm?"
"You guys just...keep going. Doesn't matter what's happened or how much you've been through. I know it's probably a sensitive topic, but you're from a completely different time and place, and you still try. I just can't wrap my head around that."
Itadori stared down at his hands, "It's nothing special. We just wanna live."
"But for what?"
"I don't know. You were talking about how intelligence makes us different than animals, but a bear doesn't need to question why it lives or what it does. A bear is just a bear."
Itadori sighed, "I guess it's like that. Life is hard, and it throws a lot of curveballs in your direction, and most of the time, you have no idea what the point of any of it is, but that doesn't mean you should just quit."
"I think about home and my friends all the time, but it's such a weird thing."
"From the start of all this to what happened in Shinjuku, it went down in less than a year. We're gonna hit a point where I'll have known you guys longer than them."
"I can't just sit here and mope about what I've lost when I have good things right here and now."
"I've got friends...family...someone special."
"Maybe my brothers could've lived as humans, maybe not. The whole thing was just a big unknown when you had Jujutsu Society breathing down our necks."
"My teacher, Satoru Gojo, wanted me to carry on his mission to create a more just world for sorcerers, but all that is gone, and there's a sadness to it, but...if you think about it-"
"It's a chance to start over, find something new, figure out what's in store in a world where sorcerers and Curses don't exist."
"We have different takes on things, me and my siblings. Kechizu wants to cling to what he has left, and Eso wants to reunite our family and go our own way, but I don't see things that way."
"I think it's bad to stop caring because what are you without those feelings? Just a hollow husk of a person waiting to die. Life without others just isn't life."
Blake slowly nodded, "Well, either way, I think you guys are really special to not give up like that. It's not easy living as some kind of...' other' in the world."
"...Yeah."
"I mean it. I couldn't stand you at first, thinking you were just some kid who didn't know how the world worked, but now? I'm starting to appreciate that you can see how awful things can be and still find a reason to smile. It's making me reconsider my thoughts on things."
"I'm proud of you, too, Blake. You've come a long way, and I think you'll make a difference, someway, somehow, in ways a guy like me can't understand. You're smart, and you've been more than patient dealing with me and my brothers' nonsense."
Blake shrugged, "It's not all bad. You guys are sort of fun, but you better believe it's going in the book, along with the other stuff."
Yuji smiled, "Go for it."
...
...
Yuji grabbed his arm, looking away, "Hey...do you, uh-"
Blake raised a brow, "Hm?"
"Nothing, just..."
Itadori sighed, "Do you think we would've been friends if...if I was born in this time instead of mine?"
The Faunus stared at him, utterly perplexed, "...Are you alright?"
"Huh? Yeah. Why?"
"It's just...kind of weird question. You aren't really the type to ask hypotheticals."
"...Yeah. You're right. It's nothing, forget I asked."
"If you wanna talk about it, we can-"
"Just forget it. Dumb question."
"...Alright.'
A few seconds passed before Blake stood up, "Well, we've been dragging this on long enough. I guess it's time to go home."
Yuji didn't say anything but quietly got up to follow her, seemingly lost in his thoughts for some unknown reason.
...
...
The pair made their way through the desolate city, passing by scene after scene of absolute havoc, as if something had torn its way through with sheer force, with Blake getting more and more agitated the longer it went on.
Every now and then, Kechizu's eye would appear on the side of Yuji's face, staring at their surroundings as if looking for something, but no words were ever spoken.
The whole trip was oddly quiet, as if some tension were holding them back.
Eventually, they made their way into what Yuji would call a suburb, at least by Menagerie's standards, with small, run-down-looking homes instead of the usual towers of apartments stacked on top of each other.
Eventually, Blake stopped pedaling, letting the bike crawl to a stop in front of an unassuming little building that looked more maintained than the others, with a small flower bed, green grass, and a few trees scattered around the property.
...
...
The dark-haired teen sighed, "This is it...what are you-"
She noticed Yuji was staring at something, her eyes widening in surprise as she realized it was their rusted old mailbox-
The vessel pointed at what was poking out on top, "Cool cat ears. The mouth and whiskers, too. Did you make those?"
Blake spat, awkwardly crossing her arms, "...I did it when I was five, okay?...Told them to take it down years ago."
Yuji approached, gently patting the mailbox like it was a real cat, "Hehe...cute."
"Are you done humiliating me?"
"No. It's my job as your friend to embarrass you whenever possible."
"...Whatever."
The vessel chuckled at her annoyance, looking over the property, "Well, there's no damage or anything, so...that's a good sign, right?"
Blake recovered, slowly giving a nod, "Probably for the better. My dad would have a fit if someone messed up his lawn."
"...His lawn?"
"He's a dad. He does dad things."
"Ohhhhh."
"...I guess we should just...do this?"
"Yeah. Uh-"
The sorcerer rubbed the back of his neck, "Hey, I know we've been taking this light just so this doesn't get to us, but...how about I take the lead and walk in first? You never know-"
Blake winced but closed her eyes, giving a slight nod, "...Yeah, I'd...appreciate that."
"Just in case."
"Right...just in case."
Blake dug into her pockets, handing the vessel a tiny key, and with that, they made their way onto the front porch, with each step making the old wooden planks creak.
Yuji turned, looking over the desolate neighborhood, biting his cheek as he saw a home across the street had its front window smashed in, with strands of cloth stuck on the broken glass.
He shook his head, put the key in, turned it, and opened the door, walking inside.
Staircase going up to his left, to his right was a small open kitchen, and up ahead, it seemed to lead to some kind of living room.
Yuji cupped his hands, shouting, "Hellooooo...uh...wellness...check?"
Blake quietly mumbled behind him, "What are you, a cop?"
"I dunno, what am I supposed to say?"
She shrugged, being extremely helpful.
Itadori dropped his shoulders, motioning the Faunus to stay there, taking a step forward, "I'm comin' in. Lemme know if you're uh...alright?"
He passed by framed photos of the Belladonnas, seeing a tiny Blake sitting on Faunus-Santa's lap, realizing it was her dad with white paint over his beard.
Others showed various events in his friend's life, from being held by Sienna Khan as a baby, going to school in what looked like a run-down hut, to eighth-grade graduation.
The photos stopped after a while, giving him an idea of when Blake ran off to join the White Fang.
As he entered the living room, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. There was even a pot full of old food and set plates at a dinner table as everything had just...stopped.
Yuji checked the whole house, wandering from room to room, and saw more of the same. He'd poke his head into a room, try not to pry into their private lives, see nothing amiss, and move on to the next.
It wasn't like the rest of town; there were no barricades or any signs that the Belladonnas had done anything since whatever had started.
Where could they have gone?
Itadori leaned against a wall in one of the hallways, pinching between his eyes, his mind bouncing around the events of today-
There was so much they didn't know, and he was getting more confused by the second, but one thing kept coming back up-
Three man-eaters in his head...muscle memory...predator instincts-
The very thought revolted him, but-
What if-
...
...
Yuji closed his eyes, cutting his senses off from the rest of the world, taking a deep breath to calm himself, picking up a trace of something-
It wasn't blood, it was-
It smelled like sweat.
He followed his nose back into the living room, kicking the carpet aside with a swipe of his leg, seeing a hatch made to match the color of the floor.
His eyes lit up, he grabbed the handle and pulled, turning to yell at his companion, "Oy! I found-"
*Click
"Eh-"
His eyes could only glance down, realizing the barrel of a shotgun was mere inches away, with a giant of a man standing on a set of steps below, a confused, angry look on his bearded face before the world went yellow as sparks of electricity crackled out with a-
*BANG
*CRUNCH
The smoke hadn't cleared before a bellowing voice echoed out, "I warned you to STAY OUT! YOU MADE ME DO THI-"
...
...
The dust particles dissipated, and there stood the sorcerer, without so much as a scratch on him, but-
On the side of his face, a bloody mouth opened, catching the slug with nothing more than its teeth, crunching it down before swallowing the object whole, giving a toothy smile as an eye appeared above-
Kechizu hummed, "Yum-Yum."
Itadori put a hand on his hip, "Seriously, what's your deal today?"
*Cr-Cr-Cr
The sound of rattling metal caught the vessel's attention, realizing the man below was silently shaking, but before he could say a word-
The sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps echoed through the house before a certain Faunus yelled, "What happened!? I heard a gunshot!"
Yuji glanced at his partner, shrugging indifferently, pointing toward Kechizu's mouth as steam and bits of electricity crackled out of it, "...I kinda see where you get it from, Blake."
That makes two Belladonnas that shot him.
...
...
"...Blake?"
Yuji turned, realizing the older man had slightly lowered his gun, looking up at him with a mix of fear, concern, and confusion.
Thankfully, the cat girl knew her cue, slowly walking within eyesight of the entrance, leaning overhead before giving a tiny wave, "Hey...dad."
Blake awkwardly smiled, "I'm...back?"
*Clunk
The gun hit the floor, and the man charged up the stairs, pulling his daughter into a bear hug-
The dark-haired girl sputtered, "Dad?"
Ghira sighed, "Thank God you're alright."
Blake slowly hugged him back, "...Yeah, I'm glad you're okay too."
It didn't last long.
She soon tried pulling away, "Can you please not do this in front of my friend? It's really embarrassing."
The panther Faunus let out a booming laugh, not letting her go, "Ahahaha! All these years, and you're still as shy as ever!"
"Daaaaaad!"
He pulled back, ruffling her hair, "Okay-okay, I can take a hint, but I can't speak for your mother. You know how she is."
Blake tried to look past him, "Is she...down there?"
"In our safe room, but...your...friend-"
Reality seemed to come down on the man in a second, his smile fading as his eyes went wide, staring at Yuji in shock as he got a better look, "...It...It's you."
Yuji waved a hand, "Hi. You shot me, but we're cool."
He sounded so chill about that.
Blake quickly tapped her dad on the arm before anything else could be said, "I'll explain everything, I promise."
Ghira looked between the teenagers, letting off a hiss, "Is he...safe?"
The vessel's expression dropped, but he didn't respond.
Blake stared into her father's yellow eyes, "He's my friend. I trust him."
...
..
The older man dropped his shoulders, letting off a sigh, beckoning them down, "Then come on. It isn't safe up here...not with...we'll get to that later, just hurry up."
The teens made their way down, and without missing a beat, Ghira closed the latch behind them.
The group found themselves entering a reinforced door, entering what looked like a dug-out basement with the walls and ceiling covered in-
Yuji squinted, "Is that tinfoil?"
Ghira grumbled, leaning his gun near the entrance, "Keeps the signals from gettin' out."
"Signals?"
"Blake, your mother's cooking in the other room, so why don't you say hello?"
The dark-themed teen gave a nod, mouthing for the sorcerer to behave before making her exit, leaving the two men standing there.
Yuji observed his surroundings, "I like your house."
The panther Faunus crossed his arms, "What are you?"
"Huh?"
"Let's not pretend I didn't see what I know I saw. That extra mouth...are you some kind of Atlesian experiment?"
"Not Atlesian, but...experiment? Kinda, I guess."
"Hmph...it just keeps getting worse."
"What does?"
Ghira waved around, "This. Our lives. When I was your age, the worst thing a Faunus had to worry about was being enslaved by SDC or some other company, but now-"
The older man grumbled, "They're out for our blood. Kidnapping rare subtypes with desirable traits, harvesting their DNA to splice with, then testing on them as guinea pigs...if it weren't for the circumstances, I'd tell you to walk the streets, you'd see the disfigured and mutated ones sooner or later."
"Not that we have that luxury anymore."
Yuji watched as the man walked across the room, dropping into a leather seat and motioning him to do the same. "Feel free to sit wherever."
The vessel did as he was told, and before long, Ghira scratched at his beard, "You're...Yuji Itadori, right?"
Itadori hummed, "You know my name?"
"Everyone on Menagerie does. You're practically a household name, for better or worse...A Faunus who made it...one who popped out of the woodwork with Ryomen's powers..."
The panther reached behind his seat, popping open a bottle with his bare hands before taking a swig, "Word has it you're a reincarnation, the so-called second coming, the one who'll set us all free, but you know what I think?"
"I think you're his clone, that someone somehow found Ryomen's body, took a sample, made you, and decided to drop you right in the heart of things like a convenient tool to throw at their issues, but given you haven't cut me in half, I'd say you turned on them...so, man to man, at the end of the world, am I right?"
Yuji let out a breath, "...You're a lot closer than you think, old man-"
Ghira smirked, taking a swig of his beer, "Ah, that's what I like to hear-"
"But it ain't the whole story."
"A few short sentences rarely is."
"Yeah, that's fair enough...do you...wanna know or-"
"Not really. Truth be told, as long as you aren't here to hurt my family, I don't care what you are or what you do...never thought my daughter would be friends with you though...Blake usually keeps outa trouble."
"Is that right?"
The word 'White Fang' hung over the pair like a Curse.
Ghira nodded, "That's right."
Yuji shrugged, "Alright."
...
...
Ghira cleared his throat, "So...you like our house?"
Itadori nodded, "Yeah. I've never lived in one, so I wouldn't know good from bad, but you guys got a nice place. Looked like you put a lotta effort into it."
"Hmph. Nearing twenty years now. Our own little slice of heaven...if only Blake could see it."
"I think she does."
"Not the way we do, kid...she just looks at what we have and only thinks about what we don't-"
"The world's a big place. There's a lot to offer."
"And a lot to lose. This island's small, but its problems? They get bigger the further out you go. The world ain't friendly to anyone; it just depends on where you are. Faunus aren't accepted on human land, and their kind aren't accepted here. It's a sad state of affairs."
"Doesn't have to be. Most of Blake's friends are humans."
"And they know she's-"
"Yeah. They do."
"Well...that's good."
"Yeah. It is."
Ghira bit his cheek, taking a swig, "Not in the way you're thinkin'."
Yuji leaned back in his seat, "Knowing people with different views makes you question your own if they're wrong, right?"
"Well, look at you, understanding people and shit."
The panther faunus downed the rest of his bottle, reaching for another, "You wanna beer?"
Yuji smirked, "It wouldn't do anything for me."
"I got some stronger stuff in the cabinet. You're probably too young, but hey, end of days, right?"
"Eh, save it for yourself. I can't get drunk, even if I drink a whole shelf of the stuff-"
"Part of the...experiment or-"
"Total immunity to poison, old man."
"Damn. Alright."
Ghira popped open another, "So, as I was saying...it's easy to hate someone you're raised to hate, but a whole 'nother to keep hating when you meet one of them and they don't act the way they should."
Yuji nodded, "Everyone's different."
"Everyone is different, but it's easy to generalize, especially when you haven't met any yourself. You'd be shocked to know how many White Fang leaders have never spoken with a human, and that's the problem with this world: people don't talk; they just get mad and stay mad."
"Definitely, but it's always hard being the first one to cross that line and say something to the other side."
"But someone has to."
"Yeah. Someone has to."
"And I'm glad my daughter finally gave it a chance. You know...the day she left, I said to her, 'Blake, I know what you're feeling, but if you see someone...don't matter what they are outside, but if you look at them on the inside and see something good, don't ignore it, that's all I ask."
Ghira raised his drink, "That's how we start ending these things, not with treaties or forced deals, but people coming to accept each other one by one. Is it fair? No. Will I see peace come to pass in my life? Probably not, but my little girl might, and that's enough for me to keep dealing with all this."
Yuji looked down, "You still think that even knowing...Atlas probably caused this?"
"We cause this on each other. Ask anyone what started all this. None of them will give the same answer. No one remembers, and I doubt anyone cares. It's just excuses to focus on what actually matters to them, the now, the things that actually affect them. They always have an answer for it-"
The older man grumbled, "They did this, so we need to do that."
"'Round and 'round the circle goes until everyone's dead. I'm sure some attack will happen, or some big shot in Atlas will get murdered as payback, just to start the whole thing over again."
He raised his drink and grimly took a drink, "This is an escalation, nothing more."
*Clink-Clink
A short mop of black hair with a noticeable set of cat ears popped out from behind a curtain, revealing an older woman with tan skin walking toward the pair with a tray, "I hope you boys are getting along."
Ghira huffed, glancing toward the tray to snag a few small cookies, "We're getting along fine, dear."
"You're drinking already? How many have you had?"
"Only one."
He winked at Yuji, motioning him to keep quiet as his wife rolled her eyes.
She sighed, "Keep it at one. I made tea."
The older man nodded in submission, "Yes, dear."
She set down the tray, her yellow eyes meeting the vessel's, "Sorry for the mess. We don't have many guests these days, I'm afraid...especially now-"
The sorcerer shook his head, standing up to reach out a hand, "It's nothin' you gotta be sorry about, miss. We sorta did just drop in on you unannounced. I'm Yuji, one of Blake's friends."
She stared at his hand for a moment before taking it with a motherly smile, "Kali Belladonna, the big lug is my husband, Ghira, and I'm going to assume he didn't introduce himself."
The panther Faunus shrugged, "I was getting to it."
She pulled her hand away, putting it on her hip to playfully glare at the man, "Mhm. He'll make friends with someone, talk for hours, then realize they never exchanged names."
"It's called guy talk, Kali. Some things go beyond words."
"It takes two seconds."
"Two seconds too many."
"You're ridiculous."
The older woman fake huffed, glancing at Yuji, "See what I have to put up with?"
The vessel smiled, "You guys seem pretty happy...despite the circumstances."
"That's just Menagerie, dear. Through good or bad, life has to go on. Blake'll be out in a minute. She's slicing up a few snacks for us."
Ghira smirked, "Putting her to work already?"
Kira nodded in pride, "That girl owes me for a few years of undone chores, but let's not get into that-"
She quickly sat down, excitedly staring at the sorcerer, "I never thought my daughter would bring home a friend, let alone a boy her age. Are you two-"
Yuji shook his head, "No. Nothing like that."
"Darn. Well, there goes my topic for next bingo night."
Ghira scoffed, "Honey, you do know who he is, right?"
She squinted, studying his features, "Ohhhh, you're THAT boy. I don't know why. The name didn't click until now. You're-"
Kali raised a finger, "I saw you on TV...with a Schnee."
Yuji nodded, "Yeah. That's Weiss."
"Not that it's my business, but...you do know what her family's done to our kind, right?"
"I-"
Ghira shook his head, "Kali, don't go there. We're trying to be civil."
The older woman lowered her shoulders, "Fine-fine. I'm just curious."
Itadori looked down at the floor, "...Weiss isn't like her family, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't imply things about her."
Before either could respond-
The curtains pulled back and Blake came walking in with brown cubes on plates, "Hope you guys like cake in can...'cause we're having cake in a can."
The teenage girl paused, looking them over, noticing the odd tension, "...Everything alright?"
Ghira slowly nodded, "We're fine, just...haven't guests in a while."
"Oookay?"
Blake sat beside Yuji, who was wolfing down his plate regardless of what had just happened. "You seriously eat anything, don't you?"
The vessel only nodded, "Wha...i's good."
The cat girl slowly put her plate down, pushing it away, "I guess Vale spoiled my pallete."
...
...
After a few moments of silence, Blake sat upright, "...Mom, Dad, I...what happened?"
Kali and Ghira exchanged a look, and the former bit her cheek, "...What do you know so far?"
"That when we got the port, it was like a ghost town. I used to see hundreds...maybe thousands of people working along the shore, but today was the first time I'd ever seen it so...empty...like everyone-"
Ghira grumbled, "Disappeared?"
He pulled against his beard, "Because they did."
...
...
The older man leaned back in his seat, with it giving off an audible creak, "...A few days ago, there was Atlesian airship hovering off the coast, nothing out of the ordinary, typical show of force, but-"
"In the middle of the night, we heard what sounded like cannon shots, real rhythmic, one after another-"
He tapped his armrest with a finger, "Budump...budump...budump-"
"You'd think there'd be a blast, maybe see a few buildings collapse in the distance, but-"
"Just thin clouds of smoke, as if something had landed."
"I went outside the same time the neighbors did. I remember looking toward the coast, then at him...he had pulled his scroll out and started...making a...making a call, I guess-"
"His son worked on one of the boats down there. Must've been worried, and-"
...
...
Blake leaned forward, "What happened?"
Ghira took a swig from his drink, "I don't know."
"You...don't know?"
"I mean, it...happened so fast, I just-"
He stared at his bottle, "One second, he's standing there. I can see that wool he always grew around his neck flowing in the breeze and then-"
"I heard metal...heavy footprints, like something was charging on all fours, and then-"
"...I didn't see it happen. All I saw were his legs standing where he was, just...bloody...stumps of legs with bones sticking out, and whatever else of him got tackled into his house, clean through the front window-"
"I-"
His bottle started shaking until Kali put a hand on his arm, "I heard his family screaming, and all I just-"
"I ran inside, grabbed my wife, and we waited down here."
"The next day, someone from the White Fang knocked on our door, a real scraggly looking girl, probably hadn't slept...not that anyone could...told us to turn off every electronic, foil up the walls, hunker down, and wait."
"It's been days, and she never came back. No one did."
...
...
Yuji moved toward the door, "I can go take a look, see what I can-"
Ghira shook his head, "I already did. There's nothing there."
Blake gasped, "You left? Even when they told you-"
The panther Faunus sighed, "I felt ashamed, Blake...runnin' away when they needed help. God, forgive me, I was ashamed, and I am still ashamed...I went there, hoping to at least find something that could stop other people from dying, but-"
The older man sunk further, "There was nothin'. The inside was a wreck. Every single thing that was plugged in got torn to shreds, and there was blood, but...no bodies."
"Whatever did that to them took 'em away."
...
...
Blake patted her pocket, "I...sent a text earlier, but I didn't...we-"
Yuji's eyes widened, "We did hear something, remember? But-"
"It was already gone."
Ghira nodded, "You're lucky you didn't make a call. Whatever they are, the things can somehow track electric signals. That message mighta 'roused their suspicion, but it didn't last, so it left."
Blake hissed, "What are they?"
"I don't know, but they're big, and bullets don't do shit...hell, the first night, the Grimm came, attracted by all the chaos, but I think those things killed 'em, 'and it's been quiet ever since."
Blake paled, "...Not every house on the island has power...but so many people use electronics...scrolls, mobile devices...even little tablets for kids to read books on-"
The cat girl winced, "All those things we took for granted turned into a dinner bell."
"How many died before they realized what was happening?"
...
...
A mouth opened on the side of Yuji's face as Kechizu whispered, "Hey."
Itadori hardly reacted, glancing down as Blake continued to talk with her parents about their situation, "Again?...Are you good? 'Cause you've been weirdly hyper today."
"Can't help it. The sights, the smells, the chaos of it all, it's-"
The half-curse laughed to himself, "Kinda exciting, right? It just makes me wish I was out there doing some of it myself."
Yuji hissed, "We've talked about this. You don't have to be like that anymore."
"...When are you gonna get that we're not normal?"
"What?"
"You try to ignore it, but you feel it too, don't you? Even as you play human, you're the one who can feel their hearts beating through the air...smell their blood from the smallest of cuts, and even notice their tiny stumbles and any other sign of weakness."
An eye opened, staring up at him, "You're one of us, little brother. Curses in human skin, full of toxins and particles that'll kill any of them within a few minutes."
Yuji glared at him, "I still have a choice. You have a choice. Blake's your friend, isn't she? Would you hurt her or anyone else you knew just because you're part Curse?"
Kechizu hummed, "...Hey, didn't they say you shouldn't use your phone?"
Yuji squinted, "The...scrolls? Yeah, why?"
"...I like that ice cream girl. She's nice to me. I wouldn't want her dying just yet."
Kechizu's mouth retracted, "Is that human enough for you?"
...
...
Yuji's eyes widened, trying to speak, "Blake-"
She was too busy talking to her parents, so the vessel stomped a foot, sending a crack along the floor, "BLAKE!"
The Faunus jumped, with her and her parents staring at the vessel in shock, "W-What!?"
"Didn't you tell Roman to call you?"
Her pupils narrowed, "...Oh my God."
Yuji could hear his brother mumble in his head, 'I'd run if I were you.'
*BWOOSH
The ground exploded in a cloud of dust as the sorcerer took off, tearing the latch off its hinges with a single punch as it clattered along the floor, running through the house, out the front door, and onto the street.
Yuji looked in every direction, spotting the coast in the distance. He rushed down the roads in a blur, "By the docks, gotta get to-"
Kechizu's mouth appeared, "They won't be there."
The sorcerer took a sudden turn, the motion kicking up a wave of gravel as he blasted off, "What do you mean!?"
"Human curiosity. They probably wandered off before even thinking to call, figuring you'd meet them halfway."
"We're running out of time! If I give you control, can you find them!? Yes or no!"
"I don't know. I'm a Curse, so can you really trust me?"
"I trust you because you're my brother!"
"Then what is it with you and trying to change us? Why can't you just accept us as we are, like Choso did?"
"Because I want better for you!"
"What I have now is plenty."
"You don't mean that!"
"How would you know!?"
"Why do you talk to Blake!? Why do you mess around with Neo!? Why do you put on that kid act when we both know you're smart enough to have a conversation!? Quit acting dumb and just admit you want them to like you!"
Yuji hissed, leaping over the smoldering remains of a home, "There's nothing wrong with wanting more! I get it's scary to put yourself out there! We aren't the most normal people on the planet, but you suddenly acting like you're just a Curse is because you're afraid, and right now, someone you know might die if you don't do something!"
...
...
The vessel closed his eyes with a hiss, "Have it your way."
In moments, his consciousness pulled away, and he found himself at a familiar picnic table-
Eso's eyes widened, "H-Huh-"
Yuji reached across the table, grabbing Kechizu by his green neck, "Grit your teeth."
The green creature's lips moved, "E-Eh!?"
*BOOM
Yuji cracked his brother across the face, sending him tumbling to the green grass below, soon hopping over to stand above him-
"Look at me when I say this. I'm not gonna coddle you like Choso did. I won't let you mess your life up by choosing the wrong thing. Neo is my friend, too, and I don't care if you're my brother or not. I won't let her die because you're too much of a baby to get over yourself, even if I gotta pummel you into doing what's right."
"So, be honest."
"Are you really okay just doing nothing? To just live as some monster that everyone's afraid of?"
Kechizu looked down, "...I don't know."
"We'll, we're gonna find out, and I'm not leaving until you give me an answer."
...
A few minutes later
Roman let off a content sigh, his ear against a metal box, his hand moving a knob, "A few to the right...click-click-click...one more for good measure, aaaand-"
*Clink
A safety deposit box opened with a groan, his twinkling eyes soon dulling as he looked inside, "Eugh, more letters from dead people and...oooh, some jewelry and old brandy. Don't mind if I do."
He snatched the gems and bottle, popping the latter open to take a swig, glancing at Neo, who stood at the vault entrance, "Ah~ I love robbing the White Fang. Only their top brass are dumb enough to trust the banks. So, really, if you think about it, I'm the good guy here. I can steal to my heart's content with no remorse."
Neo snapped a finger, making a sign, 'Remorse?'
"Hey, I regret things!"
'Cinder?'
"Mmm...most of it."
'I don't wanna know.'
"No, you do not, my dear girl."
Neo rolled her eyes, making an emote for a phone call, making the older thief sigh, digging out his scroll, tossing it to her, "Just...one more safe...you make the call."
She paused, tapping her throat, and he shrugged in response, "Text to speech."
The ice-cream-colored girl tried to rebuttal, but honestly, it was a fair point.
But every time she tried that, people hung up, thinking she was a robot caller.
Neo made her way into the abandoned lobby, out through a recently blasted hole in the teller's office, the entire place filled with broken glass and scattered papers.
She looked up to see a missing chunk of the ceiling with bloody handprints along the sides, making her grimace. She soon rapidly dialed Blake's number, holding the device to her ear and tapping a foot.
...
...
*Click-Click
Neo stopped, looking at her foot to see if she hit something metal, but found nothing.
She sighed, not making a sound, hating the ambient noise of a quiet building settling.
*Ring...Ring-
*Click
An automated message played, "...Hey, it's me. Leave a message."
Neo hung up, trying to dial again before-
*Drip...Drip
Liquid splattered against her screen, mostly clear, but with bubbles of white and...was that red?
*Click...Click
Dust fell from the ceiling, landing next to her in a woosh.
The multicolored teen slowly looked up, seeing nothing more than an open mouth dangling above as something massive launched with so much force that it blew the ceiling apart in one go, letting off a robotic scream.
*BOOM
Just as its jaws moved around her head, the facade of the bank exploded as a figure launched through the glass, hurling itself into the creature like a ragdoll, their legs compressing and rocketing into its face-
With a ferocious kick, its jaw was dislocated, followed by a hand grabbing it by the face, their long green nails digging through flesh, wire, and metal before hurling it into a wall with a thunderous blast.
Neo stood, watching the figure land, her eyes recognizing the pink hair and tan skin, raising a sign, '...Yuji?'
The teen turned, but his eyes weren't their normal brown, but a dark black with trails of blood running down the sides.
The moment was cut off by the sounds of whirling components snapping back into place as a massive figure loomed in the crater, standing upright, their sheer size dwarfing all parties present, a robotic voice billowing out-
"Unidentified organism detected. Initiating first response protocol."
...
That's all for now.
Take it easy, and I'll see you guys next time; cheers.
Discord:
/xmV8cVZBhb