Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Did you hear about the new transfer students? More first years,” Maki said as she pressed the ‘cold’ option on the vending machine.

“More of them?” Panda pinched his chin in thought. “There sure are a lot of them this year.”

“Shake,” Inumaki agreed. Accompanying Maki to the vending machines was a great excuse for them to skip out on training for a little bit.

“Well, there’s two of them; they have the same family name so they must be related or something,” Maki’s drink fizzed softly as she cracked the tab open.

“It’s the second years! Good morning!” Gojō Satoru’s playfully familiar voice echoed from the end of the hallway. A pair of less familiar students quickly followed after him.

“What does that blindfolded idiot want this time,” she muttered into her drink as he approached closer. Gojō’s been a pain in Maki’s side since he broke the first cursed weapon he borrowed from her—the other times just doubled her anger.

“I wanted to get the other first years to show these new transfers around,” he gestured to the kids behind him, “but they went off on their own mission. Could you guys take care of your underclassmen, please?” Gojō asked, flashing an innocent smile.

“Actually, Panda and I were planning on sparring… just right now…” Maki made up an excuse on the spot, elbowing Panda in the back and signaling him to go with it.

“Yeah… we were just about to go do that…” Panda nodded, wide-eyed, before the two walked away at a rushed pace.

Inumaki stared at their retreating figures with a look of disbelief. They left him behind. If she were to sacrifice someone, it should have been someone that could actually communicate, like Panda.

He now regretted taking the last piece of bread in the kitchen this morning and looking at Maki teasingly as he ate it.

“What’s with the talking panda?” the dark-haired twin whispered to the other silently in the background, who shrugged in answer.

“What about you, Toge?” Gojō turned his attention to him, his tall figure slinking into his personal space. “You’re not busy, right? Could ya take care of your underclassmen?”

He’s been cornered. There was no one left to toss the hot potato of responsibility to. “Shake…” he agreed unenthusiastically. Despite not being under his watch anymore, Gojō-sensei still managed to dump his responsibilities on him.

“Great!” He clapped his hands with a smile. “Toge, meet the Aiuchi twins, Kyō-kun and Akemi-kun!” Gojō took a long step aside to give the twins room. “Kids, this is Toge, a second-year upperclassman! His technique is cursed speech! He can control people, curses, and what-have-you with his words! He uses onigiri ingredients as safewords. The other two are Maki-san and Panda, but they ran off to who-knows-where.”

Inumaki was going through a quick mental list of the pros and cons of forced social interaction, when his thoughts were cut off by a sudden overwhelming presence.

“WOAH!” Akemi, the twin with a purple buzz cut and many piercings, lit up in excitement. “Your technique is cursed speech!? That is so cool! Mine is sonic speech!” They pointed at themself, golden eyes gleaming. “I can use my cursed energy to manipulate sound waves from my voice!” They paused in sheepish embarrassment. “Sorry... I’ve never seen someone with a vocal technique like mine before.”

Inumaki blushed in surprise.

His inherited technique was usually seen as a stain to jujutsu society. When people first meet him, they typically approach him at an arm’s length with heavy caution, afraid he’ll curse them. Such enthusiasm towards his inherited technique was rare, and so was the feeling it sent inside him.

“Sh-Shake,” he stuttered, verbally and physically. Sonic speech? He hadn’t heard about that one before. For the first time in a while, he was curious.

“Salmon? Ooo, salmon onigiri are my favorite kind!” That same excitement quickly returned to those expressive golden eyes.

His own widened too and he nodded his head in affirmation. Akemi has good taste.

“Not to interrupt…” the other twin, the one with a dark mullet, paused to gesture at the two briefly with his right hand, “... this, but hello, I’m Aiuchi Kyō, Akemi’s brother,” he gave a little smile. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said before bowing politely.

“Right, right,” Akemi rushed to line up next to their brother to do the same. “It’s nice to meet you, Inumaki-senpai.”

Inumaki bowed silently in return, looking around to find that Gojō-sensei had left them; further boosting his theory that Gojō was just dumping his responsibilities on the nearest person.

He sighed. He hates showing new people around. He hates meeting new people in general, but there’s only so much you could do about that. The one prevalent thing he liked about the jujutsu community was the exclusiveness.

These two seem different, though. Just like his classmates and underclassmen.

Their “tour” consisted of the three of them walking around the campus, the siblings asking yes or no questions whenever they were confused, and Inumaki nodding or shaking his head yes or no while using his affirmation and negation safe words.

Midway through the tour, Akemi got distracted by a field of flowers. Kyō went to get them, but Akemi ended up distracting him too, and the two got separated from him briefly. Inumaki was exhausted.

He closed the door to his dorm room and immediately retreated to bed, kicking his shoes off. Letting out a long sigh, he landed face-first into his pillow. Whether it was the afternoon or evening was unknown to him. What wasn’t, was the smell of fresh linen and the thick texture of his weighted blanket—the perfect way to recharge after an exhausting amount of social interaction.

Not like it was all that bad. He shifted so he was lying on his back, and stared at the ceiling. He spun the purple hydrangea Aiuchi Akemi picked for him with his fingertips.

“Purple hydrangeas mean ‘wanting a deep understanding,’” Akemi had said as they placed the purple hydrangea in his open palm. “Plus, they match your eyes,” they added softly. They tried hiding their quiet comment behind another sheepish smile. “Hydrangeas have different meanings depending on the color: blue meaning gratitude, white — vanity, and pink — heartfelt emotion. Our mom taught us all about flowers when we were little,” Akemi looked up to make sure he was paying attention and smiled when they saw that his violet eyes were attentively watching them. “We may have just met, Inumaki-senpai, but I think you’re someone I want to understand deeply.”

Inumaki covered his eyes with his forearm and sighed again. He hadn’t met someone so… so instantly true and genuine towards him before. People like them are rare in the jujutsu community.

He decided it was best not to dwell on it-

and he fell fast asleep.

———

Meanwhile, in Aiuchi Kyō’s dorm room…

“Wow… that was so embarrassing,” the previously reserved Kyō found himself more relaxed around his sibling, fiddling with a water bottle from where he was sitting at the table. “You were all over him—and what was with that infodump on hydrangeas...”

“Ugh, I know!” Akemi dragged the end of their sentence in a whine and cringed, burying their face into a throw pillow from Kyō’s couch. “His eyes were so pretty, too… I’m not sure what happened—I just started talking… and it was like I couldn’t stop!”

“Yeah, it was gross,” Kyō made a disgusted face before ducking his head to dodge the incoming pillow his sibling sent flying across the room.

“If it was so bad, why didn’t you stop me!?”

“And miss you freaking out about it?” Kyō laughed teasingly. “No way!”

Akemi grabbed another pillow from the couch and Kyō raised his hands to protect his face.

“Hey-Ey!” Kyō said in a warning tone when his twin prepared to throw another pillow at him. “Inumaki-senpai didn’t seem to hate it!”

Akemi lowered the pillow and plopped themself back on the couch with a pout. “Really? Did it seem that way?”

“Yes, it did,” Kyō slowly lowered his defensive position.

“Wait—are you sure or are you just saying that to get me to leave?”

“Yes.”

“To which!?”

Kyō walked over and pulled at their arm, motioning for them to get up. “Stop worrying yourself to death and get out of my room! Go to bed!”

“Fine,” Akemi mumbled as they dragged their feet out his door. “Not like I could if I tried.”

———

“Wow, you look terrible,” Maki laughed, lounging on a couch with a cursed book in the common room and kitchen area when Aiuchi Akemi entered in their pajamas.

“Mmmm,” Akemi hummed in agreement as they shuffled to the kitchen to make some morning tea. They let out another grumble that resembled ‘good morning.’

The two had gotten acquainted with each other the night before, outside the dorms. Akemi was moving stuff into their dorm room.

“Do you always look like that when you get out of bed?” Maki asked as she returned to the page she was just reading.

Akemi let out another hum in agreement. “Insomnia. I rarely get any sleep,” they managed to mumble as they moved a kettle full of water onto the stove. “‘Sort of impossible for me to look so good in the morning like you, Maki-senpai. Forgive me.”

“You’re funny,” Maki paused to laugh. “I like that.” She looked up to see the first year groggily lean their weight against the counter. “That does sound like it sucks, though. You should get that checked out by our healer…” she continued as her eyes followed the lines on the page. “She uses reversed cursed energy to heal, so I’m not sure exactly how she could help.” She paused a moment to think. “I guess you could ask Toge instead…”

“I-Inumaki-senpai?” Akemi’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of his name. “How could he help…” they trailed off trying to think of ways he could.

Maki let out a small chuckle before answering. “He can use his cursed technique to make you go to sleep.”

“That would be perfect!” Akemi pushed themself off the counter in excitement, right as the kettle started whistling. “Thank you for the suggestion, Maki-san. Just gotta find the time to ask him,” they hummed as they poured hot water into their teacup.

“No worries, anything for an underclassman I can tolerate,” she returned to her book once again. “Oh, since there’s no class today, the second years are going to train on the field. You should come, and tell the other first years to join us.”

“Will do!”

———

“I won’t go easy on ya,” Kugisaki stood ready with nails in hand and hammer in the other, taunting her training partner.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Akemi smirked as cursed energy seemed to leak from their hands, forming into two hook-ended whips and cracking them in the air.

Kugisaki took a surprised step back. There certainly was an advantage to not revealing a cursed technique until their first fight—but unfortunately for Nobara, she had just demonstrated her technique and the accuracy of her nails to everyone before they split into pairs.

Akemi used their whips to push off of the floor and launch themself into the air, creating distance between them and Kugisaki.

“Hey! When did this become land vs. air!? Get back here!” Nobara yelled after them, sending three nails their way.

Akemi stuck their tongue out in reply and caught the incoming nails with their right whip’s cursed energy before dropping them back to the floor.

“You have— to come down— sometime!” Nobara launched more nails between her words when Akemi started falling.

They used their momentum to spin midair, dodging the projectiles and making sure to cushion their fall with the whips before landing semi-gracefully on their feet.

They’re fast! Like Itadori. Nobara groaned to herself. They’re able to use height as an advantage like Nishimiya-chan, although this time there’s no broom bristle to use resonance with… and not to mention those damned whips— Akemi launched themself into the air once again, their whips cracking off the floor.

Kugisaki sent more nails flying before reaching into her bag and only finding two more. Gotta start bringing extra, Nobara scolded herself internally. She wasn’t gonna let Akemi know about that, though. “Do you ever stop moving!?” Kugisaki put more power into these last two before sending them their way.

“I can,” Akemi seemingly paused midair before screaming loudly, their vocals sending a pulsating wave of power that stopped and rattled the incoming nails in place, dropping them before surging through Kugisaki’s body.

Nobara was vibrating in place, the unfamiliar feeling of intense sound waves rattling her core sent her into a state of shock before she fell over.

“Yeesh, you never gave her a chance!” Maki shielded her eyes from the beating sun with her hand, pausing her spar with Fushiguro to look on.

Inumaki stood frozen with Panda at the top of the steps leading down to the field, a tray of water bottles in hand. He watched as Akemi landed gracefully once more, offering their hand to their classmate and laughing the whole thing off. So that’s what Akemi meant by ‘sonic speech,’ he thought to himself.

“Toge, these first years are no joke,” Panda commented as they walked down the steps and placed their trays at the bottom.

“Shake,” Inumaki agreed, thinking about Okkotsu. He figured Yūta would get along with the first years pretty well. He sees a lot of Yūta in them, especially in that Aiuchi Akemi…

“Man, it’s hot!” Kugisaki complained to Fushiguro and Akemi before grabbing a water bottle from one of the trays Inumaki and Panda prepared. “Who knew training would be so exhausting.”

“Who didn’t know…” Fushiguro trailed off as he grabbed his own bottle of water.

Akemi attempted to agree, but the only thing that came out of their mouth was a choked noise.

“Takana?” Inumaki asked them in a concerned tone.

Fushiguro took a pause mid-sip of water, waiting to see if Akemi could understand what their upperclassman was saying.

Akemi figured he was asking if they were ok. “M’fine. My technique messes with my throat,” their words came out hoarse and they coughed as they gestured towards their neck with their hand.

Fushiguro found himself pleasantly surprised.

“Tsuna tsuna,” Inumaki’s concerned tone remained, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a bottle of cough syrup.

“Are you telling me to use this?” Akemi asked, looking down at the bottle in his hand.

“Shake,” Inumaki nodded his head yes and gestured it towards them in offering.

Akemi made a concerned thinking noise before beginning again. “Are you sure? This is yours, I’d want you to save it for yourself.”

“Shake,” he insisted, averting his gaze anywhere but his Kōhai’s eyes.

“This is the same brand I use! ‘Just forgot to bring my own,” they gave a small smile that mirrored their brother’s from yesterday before grabbing the bottle from his hand and pouring a smidge down their throat.

“Tsuna,” Inumaki motioned his hand, signaling that they should drink more.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to drink most of this…” Akemi asked.

“Shake,” Inumaki smiled with his eyes.

Fushiguro and Panda looked on with narrowed eyes. It was strange to see Inumaki warm up to someone so easily.

“Oh! I’ve been meaning to ask, Inumaki-senpai,” Akemi chimed after handing the bottle back to him. “Could you help me out with my sleeping problems? Maki-san said your technique could help.”

Inumaki lingered his stare on the bottle in his hand as he ran another pros and cons list through his head. On the one hand, going to Akemi’s room, someone he just met, and seeing them in their pajamas every night seemed like an invasion of privacy. Not to mention he’d have to awkwardly let himself out after they’d fall asleep… On the other hand, Inumaki wasn’t one to deny help to someone when he could easily offer it—especially if they’d asked him directly.

“Do your powers work over the phone? We could call,” Akemi suggested after they noticed he zoned out.

Ah, that could work. “Shake!” he answered enthusiastically.

———

Inumaki paced around his room, phone in hand. It was 10:17 PM and they had scheduled their call for 10:30 PM; yet here he was, checking his phone every other second like a loser.

He threw his phone on the bed and he himself came soon after. Toge looked over his shoulder to the nightstand, where the purple hydrangea Akemi gave him the other day was resting in a mug filled with water.

“They look delicate, but they’re easy to take care of. They don’t need much, just sun, water, and lots of love,” he recalls Akemi’s in-depth explanation on the flower. “Our mom compared us to them because they bloom in the spring, like we did.”

That must’ve been when they were born. He sighed and moved closer to the edge of his bed. ‘Wanting a deep understanding,’ huh? He fiddled with the little purple petals gently and wondered if that went both ways.

He wants it to.

The ring of his phone made him jump in surprise. Their call came seven minutes earlier than they had planned. He quickly reached for his phone to see “Aiuchi Akemi” in bold text, and the candid photo he took of them earlier—for the contact picture—took up the whole screen.

Inumaki quickly sat upright against his headboard, not even realizing it was a video call until after he answered.

“Oh!” Akemi’s golden eyes widened in surprise when the call started, not because they weren’t expecting him to pick up, but because he wasn’t wearing anything to cover his face at the moment.

Akemi turned away nervously.

“Konbu?” Inumaki greeted them with uncertainty, and Akemi peeked back slowly with one eye.

“Erm, sorry—“ Akemi took a pause to turn their head back completely. ”I’ve never seen the bottom-half of your face before, with your tattoos… I didn’t know if I was supposed to be looking or not.” The sheepish smile Inumaki was now familiar with returned to their lips.

“Shake,” he tried reassuring them, understanding. Inumaki’s never been ashamed of his given tattoos, really. He understood that normal people are usually shocked to see a kid with face tattoos—some would even go as far as saying negative things about them. He also understood that jujutsu sorcerers aren’t normal people.

“Ah, well, I think they look good on you, Inumaki-san,” Akemi replied with a smile through the screen. “They compliment your face.”

Inumaki gave his own little smile in return, which he’s now realizing is a sight not many people get to see often.

Akemi repositioned themself and the camera on their sides, and snuggled into their pillow. “Okay. M’ready,” they mumbled, closing their eyes

“Sleep,” Inumaki whispered into the microphone.

Akemi’s body sunk into the bed as they fell fast asleep, mouth slightly open and already taking deep breaths.

It’d be nice to fall asleep next to them, he thought to himself before beating himself up internally. No, that’s creepy to think about someone you just met, he concluded as he hung up the call and sank his head back into the pillow.

Great.

Now Inumaki can't fall asleep.

Chapter Text

The first years spent most of the next day out on a mission with Gojō Satoru; the first mission for the Aiuchi twins since they’ve transferred.

“Isn’t bringing five sorcerers for one case a little much?” Kyō mumbled to their sibling as they followed their teacher to a building with a strong cursed presence.

“The windows have no idea how many curses there are in this building, so it’s better to be strong in numbers,” Gojō overheard and chimed in. “They also said the curses here are relatively low level. I thought this would be a good idea as a first mission for the two of you,” Gojō gave a grin that anyone would question the legitimacy of. “If there ends up being an underwhelming amount, these three could take care of them and you two could just observe, if you’d like.”

“Boo, I wanna exorcise curses!” Akemi bounced lightly on the balls of their feet.

“Speak for yourself,” Kyō spoke through gritted teeth, tugging on Akemi’s shirt.

“I am!” Akemi scoffed and elbowed Kyō in the ribs.

Gojō let out an amused chuckle, bringing their attention back to him. “Kyō-kun, because of your pessimism, you are now required to exorcise at least three curses,” he flashed three fingers before clapping and beginning again with another smile. “Watch each other’s backs, everyone! I’ll be out here waiting until you’re all done.”

“We’ve got this,” Kugisaki said with full confidence as she opened the main entrance to the building.

A strong aura moved through the crowd of kids.

“Of course we do! Those would be hilarious last words, though,” Itadori laughed to himself, stretching out his shoulder before joining her.

Fushiguro and Yoshino wasted no time in summoning their dark wolf and jellyfish shikigami respectively before walking in.

Kyō remained in the back, visibly disappointed that he spoke and got himself in trouble with Gojō.

“Sheesh, you're stiff,” Akemi said as they pushed their brother through the front entrance.

Kugisaki turned back to address her peers. “I’ll take care of the bottom floors with Itadori and Yoshino. Fushiguro, take Kyō and Akemi for support on the upper levels.” They all nodded in confirmation.

The second trio headed up the flights of stairs and stopped at the first floor with a strong cursed presence— floor 6.

“Kuroi senses something’s right past this door,” Fushiguro readied his stance to prepare to open the stairwell door.

He named his shikigami? The twins locked eyes with exaggeratedly shocked faces as if the thought were telepathic. But that’s cute!

Fushiguro commanded Kuroi to crash through the door and the three rushed through immediately after.

Manipulating their cursed energy, Akemi formed two cursed energy whips from their hands, while Kyō manipulated his to form a cursed energy lasso.

Five multi-eyed, multi-limbed curses immediately surrounded them—Fushiguro called another shikigami, Nue, for extra support before grabbing a cursed katana from the shadows and getting to work.

“Ugh, these ones are so gross,” Akemi said as their brother attached his lasso to the hooked end of their whip.

“You’ll have to manage,” Kyō snarked before warping himself all over the room and effectively rounding up four of the curses together. He stopped at the opposite side of the room from Akemi, the grouped curses struggling in the cursed ropes tied around them.

Their difference in personality usually makes one question if they were actually siblings, much less twins; but right now, their sync made it without a doubt.

“Ready?” Kyō asked through the monsters.

“Ready,” Akemi confirmed before the two of them started pulling at once, the rope slicing through the curses and exorcising them.

Fushiguro looked on in amazement while Kuroi munched on the remnants of the curse its owner destroyed.

“Does that mean I’ve done my three-curse minimum?” Kyō sighed as he retracted his lasso.

“Hmmm,” Akemi pinched their chin in thought. “Don’t think so! Four of them, and two of us, so let’s say that was two each.”

“Why can’t we just say four each…”

“Wouldn’t that be cheating?”

“Would that matter!?”

“Guys,” Fushiguro cut their banter off. “Could we go back to the task at hand?”

The siblings apologized briefly, but Kyō flicked Akemi on the forehead as soon as he turned around, as if there wasn’t curse gunk currently spread across the walls and floor.

“Uncalled for!” Akemi rubbed their fingers over the point of contact.

Going through the rest of the upper floors was a breeze. Kyō exorcized his third curse on the eighth floor and sighed a breath of relief. Akemi accidentally blew out the windows on the ninth floor and sighed their own breath of relief when they remembered that it didn’t matter because they were in an abandoned building.

After they’d cleared the whole building, the six regrouped at the ground floor before leaving the building to greet their teacher as a group.

“Good job, everyone!” Gojō popped a smile and a thumbs up. “You too, Kyō-kun. Make sure you keep your head up.”

Kyō nodded his head and Akemi gave him a pat on the back.

“Okay, let’s go out to eat!”

———

The day fell into the late evening, and Akemi washed the stink of dinner away with a hot shower. The steamy air partially refreshed their worn-down throat.

They’d used some cough syrup after finishing the mission, but it was from a previously-opened bottle that ran out quickly. Akemi made a mental note to check their stash later, slipping into their usual pajamas.

The digital clock on their phone’s lock screen showed the time; 10:14 PM. 16 minutes before their scheduled sleep appointment with Inumaki.

Akemi figured it would be easier for them to fall asleep on their own after an exhausting day like the one they just had, but they still decided to call.

Inumaki picked up immediately.

“Konbu,” his uncovered face greeted them through the screen again.

Akemi waved a small hello with their hand with a matching smile. They said ‘hi’ in their head but it didn’t seem to transfer to their mouth.

“Takana?” he asked with a concerned face.

They answered yes in their head immediately, but it failed to come to words once again, and their face scrunched, visibly confused. It couldn’t be because of their scratchy throat. It took a few more tries—one of which they physically opened their mouth and nothing came out—for them to actually realize what was happening.

Akemi opened their message app and started a new conversation with Inumaki. A window of the call popped up and stayed in the corner.

Contact name: Inumaki (senpai)

Akemi: hi :)
Akemi: yes, i’m fine! just tired. sorry for the worry!
Akemi: i’m nonverbal right now
10:16 PM

Inumaki: Ok
10:17 PM

Akemi: do u know what that means?
10:17 PM

Inumaki: Yes, I’m autistic too
10:17 PM

Their eyes widened. That would explain why they hit it off immediately; Akemi had always found it easier to connect with other people on the spectrum. Their strongest example was Kyō.

Akemi: !!! that’s cool !!! it makes sense
10:18 PM

Inumaki: How so?
10:18 PM

Akemi: i get along with autistic ppl better :]
10:19 PM

Inumaki: I see
10:19 PM

Akemi knows their appointments aren’t for chatting, but they just wanted to talk to their friend.

Akemi: Gojō-sensei made us exorcise ten floors-worth of curses today . . .
Akemi: i hope ur day was less tiring than mine was :P
10:20 PM

Inumaki: I was off on my own missions
Inumaki: It wasn’t as tiring as that sounds, though
10:20 PM

Akemi: !! u should take me with u next time ! :]
Akemi: i’ll try not to drag u down lol
10:21 PM

Inumaki: You wouldn’t.
10:21 PM

Akemi hiccuped. Inumaki’s eyes widened with curiosity as a string of more hiccups followed. Akemi quickly covered their mouth and reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand to alleviate their acute case of the hiccups.

Akemi: srry abt that.
Akemi: not sure what happened there lol
10:23 PM

Inumaki: It happens
10:23 PM

Akemi buried their face into their pillow. ‘It happens!?’ They needed to go to bed before the embarrassment swallowed them whole.

Akemi: lol
10:23 PM
Akemi: ok, i think i’m ready for bed
10:24 PM

“Sleep.”

Chapter Text

The sound of morning cicadas rang through Akemi’s room, effectively waking them from their curse-induced slumber. They were disappointed to see their phone’s black screen instead of Inumaki’s face. Not like they weren’t expecting him to hang up after they fell asleep… and there wasn’t much of a logical explanation to why they felt disappointed in the first place. Most feelings aren’t logical, Akemi concluded as they got up to get ready for the day.

Getting out of bed was a lot easier now than it was before Inumaki started helping them with their insomnia about a week ago.

They opened their closet door and found that the vast array of colors of their regular clothes—nearly every color of the rainbow and some neutrals—looked silly hanging next to the relatively boring dark blue of their school uniform. Akemi didn’t mind it; they look good in every color.

Akemi’s uniform special requests were for two types of uniforms: one paired with a skirt and one paired with pants, both with a revealing opening at the bust of the top—which, honestly, was originally a joke to see if they would complete any request—but they ended up looking good in it anyway.

On days they’re not sure which they feel like wearing, Akemi messages Kyō to make the decision for them.

Contact Name: 1st half

Akemi: gmmm
Akemi: which one do i wear today :P
8:32 AM

Kyō: morning
Kyō: hmm...
Kyō: skirt today
8:34 AM

Akemi: u always pick the skirt >:[
8:34 AM

Kyō: if u don’t want to, wear the pants instead…
8:35 AM

Akemi: wait but i kinda do :/
8:35 AM

Kyō: ...
Kyō: u are so predictable
8:36 AM

Akemi found it a little funny that they text to talk to each other when their rooms share a wall, but they wouldn’t change their little every-other-morning routine for the world.

They usually weren’t one to spend so long getting ready, but with their newfound energy, they’ve been spending more time making sure they look nice.

Kyō’s uniform is sleeveless while he wears black hand-to-arm sleeves, so Akemi chose to match with over-the-knee black socks below their skirt—their favorite pair, the one with a pink-accented cat peeking out at the hem of the front and back of each sock.

Akemi: let’s walk to class together ? :-)
8:50 AM

Kyō: sure :^)
8:50 AM

———

“Inumaki-senpai!” a familiar voice called from across the common room. “I’m so glad I caught you before you left.”

Inumaki looked up to confirm the source; an excited Aiuchi Akemi. “Konbu,” he greeted.

“Hi, good morning! I wouldn’t be able to call it a ‘good’ morning without your help, so thank you for that,” they laughed, their golden eyes smiling with a genuine gratitude that was hard to ignore. “You didn’t have to.”

Inumaki took a second to process the strange rush of feeling that struck through his chest. “Shake,” he answered softly. It’s the least he could do for a friend.

Akemi looks intimidating at first—with the buzz cut and piercings and all—but when you get to know them, they’re really just the human embodiment of a puppy. A strong one that’s curious and playful while caring and attentive. Inumaki slapped himself internally. All they said was a good morning, and thank you. Why is he comparing his kōhai to a puppy?

“Gojō-sensei grouped the other first years together to go on missions, and I was the left out,” their voice dipped and their eyes showed disappointment, before lighting up again “buuut, I asked him, and he said to tag along on some of your missions; so I guess everything turned out okay!” they gave an excited smile paired with a thumbs up.

When Inumaki realized Akemi fluctuated their tone for the sake of hooking him into their story, he laughed a little harder than he probably should have.

His kōhai stood in front of him with a semi-shocked face, their canine tooth sticking out of a sideways grin.

“Takana?” Inumaki asked as he calmed down.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” they paused, continuing to stare at him with that surprised smirk. “I’ve never had the pleasure to hear your laugh before.”

Inumaki froze, the beat of his heart rushing into his ears. “Okaka,” he managed to get out before sinking his face deeper into his zipped collar.

“Sooo,” Akemi started with a playful tone, rocking their weight from their heels to their toes and vice versa repeatedly, making sure not to invade Toge’s space as he turtled in his collar “... what’re we doing today?”

-

A chime played and the train doors slid open simultaneously. A lady’s voice came through the speakers, announcing to ‘mind the gap’ of the platform, before people started filing in and out of the train doors. Inumaki tried taking a step forward when a hand grabbed at his arm, stopping him in place momentarily.

“I... hate crowds…” Akemi said in a hushed, uncomfortable voice, “stay close, please,” they pleaded as they tightened their grip on Toge’s wrist, a swarm of people rushing past.

Inumaki stepped into the subway car with Akemi close in tow, making sure to stop at a place in the subway car that wasn’t so crowded.

“Takana?” Inumaki asked, grabbing one of the ceiling handles with his free hand as Akemi took the free seat in front of him, their hand still gripping his wrist.

Akemi nodded their head with shut eyes and a scrunched face, trying to calm themself with deep breaths.

None of the assistant managers were available to drive them, so the two had to resort to public transportation. Toge may like the jujutsu community for its exclusiveness, but he hated the other side to it; they’re constantly short staffed. He cursed internally. Seeing Akemi uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted, but he had to pay attention to make sure they’ll be okay.

Akemi’s free hand fiddled with three silver rings that hung from a string around their neck before they looked up at Inumaki. “Th… Thank you,” that same look of pure-hearted gratitude returned to their face, and his heart squeezed.

“Okaka,” he replied, pulling his collar a little higher. He was doing the least he could do for his friend. He wasn’t paying attention when the train started moving, and his weight shifted off his center of gravity. He took a step to catch himself, accidentally bumping their knees together.

Inumaki gasped and waved his hand in apology, his eyes wandering to the knee he bumped into, and pausing when he saw it. The cats peeking out of the hem of their over-knee socks. Cats… Cute… The thrum of his heart returned to his ears and he quickly reset his position to try and seem normal.

“It’s okay, really,” Akemi let out a small laugh before cracking an uncomfortable smile.

Stupid assistant managers, stupid public transportation, stupid crowds, people… he just wanted to see Akemi okay again.

The subway stopped at a station and another wave of people flowed into the car, forcing Inumaki to stand right in front of them, their legs practically touching. Another hand gripped his wrist in response to the crowd thickening.

Now that they were especially close, Inumaki put all of his effort in looking anywhere but them, specifically the hem of their socks—and the rather revealing opening at the top of their uniform—so he wouldn’t completely explode in the middle of the packed subway car. He would turn around completely, if Akemi wasn’t attached to him at the wrist.

They stayed that way until the train finally stopped at their station. They exited the train car, Akemi walking behind him with their hand still gripping the fabric of his sleeve. They were halfway up the stairwell leading to the street when Akemi paused in the middle of the stairs, fidgeting with their necklace again. Inumaki paused and turned back as soon as he felt them let go.

“M’sorry,” Akemi began, shifting their feet in place with their eyes glued to the floor, “if I’m… much.’”

‘Much?’ Inumaki had no idea what they meant. His face matched his confusion but their usually bright eyes were still set on the tiles below.

“I’ve been told…” they continued, pausing—it seemed hard for them to say, “that I’m a lot to handle… So, sorry for grabbing you… and being like that back there,” they tried laughing it off, but it came out a sad little chuckle.

Inumaki wanted nothing more than to tell them that it was okay; that he understood how they were uncomfortable and wanted nothing but to help them.

“It seemed like you were trying really hard not to look at me, so I wanted to apologize,” Akemi finished, voice wavering.

Toge froze, realizing this was all a misunderstanding because he put too much effort in keeping himself sane.

Another wave of people came into the corner of his vision after another train arrived, and the crowd began rushing up the steps. Inumaki quickly pulled Akemi into an embrace, holding their head against his shoulder so they wouldn’t see all the people passing by. Their soft fuzzy hair tickled his palm, and he could feel their heart beating through their chest; he wondered if they could feel his, too.

“Okaka,” he reassured them with a whisper to their ear, pulling away slightly when the crowd thinned to see their face.

Akemi’s eyes were puffy from nearly crying, but the guilty look he was expecting wasn’t there (anymore, at least). Instead, their eyes were filled with a mix of shock and genuine appreciation—somehow different from their look of gratitude—and their lips were slightly parted, most likely in thought. Another zing struck his chest.

Inumaki broke the hug and grabbed their hand instead, leading them out to the street so they could finally get to their destination; a less than 10-minute walk away.

-

“Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure,” Akemi let go of Inumaki’s hand to cast a veil over them and the seemingly empty hospital building that towered above them. “Is it me, or is this aura… particularly strong?”

“Shake,” Inumaki agreed, holding up the hand that was just in theirs and staring at it, distracted.

“The windows reported a second-grade,” they continued as they inspected the entrance, “this does not feel like a second-grade. A first at the most, maybe. Semi-first, if we’re lucky,” they scratched the back of their head in thought.

Inumaki looked on with concern. The reports claimed it was unlikely for there to be human victims, but the gut feeling that said ‘people have died here’ couldn’t be worse. Being so close to a busy Tokyo subway station, it wouldn’t be too hard for a curse to lure people in, or to snatch them off the street. The thought made his heart drop.

Despite seeing many throughout his jujutsu career, Inumaki doesn't think he could ever get used to the sight of human bodies.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty lobby as they stepped through the entrance. The power was out and Akemi’s dark veil blocked much of the light from coming through the windows.

Of all the places curses manifest often in, hospitals are by far the creepiest ones, Inumaki concluded. There was something about the eerie hallways of an unkempt building that sent a terrible feeling through his body. The abandoned hospital beds and IV stands added an extra factor.

A loud clatter came from the back hall, scaring the air out of him.

He stepped closer, cautiously, to investigate the noise.

“Be careful, that could be bai—“ Akemi cut themself off with a gasp as a dark portal opened under them and they quickly fell through it.

“Inuma—“

The portal closed before he could even get to it. There’s no way this was a semi-first or first-grade… This was a special-grade curse.

With no clue as to where they could’ve gone, he panicked in place for a second, before Akemi’s sonic screech echoed from the bottom of the nearby stairwell.

Inumaki bolted for the steps.

—

“When Gojō Satoru gets here, you’re gonna be in so much trouble,” Akemi swore at the ugly, bat-like curse hanging from the ceiling as they struggled against hands with sharp nails that clawed at their ankles through the floor.

They tried their best to remain calm, given the circumstances. They were normally one to exorcise curses in a relatively calm demeanor, but this was different. This was a special-grade curse, a level they hadn’t experienced before.

The curse made clicking noises in answer. At least it isn’t capable of communication, they thought to themself. The ones capable of speech are much more intense in terms of a special-grade scale. They slowly reached into their back pocket for their phone.

They texted an “SOS” with their location to their teacher from the hand behind their back.

Akemi was dropped into a room the curse was residing in, which, upon further inspection, was the morgue. The smell of decomposing bodies shook them to their core. “Why did it have to be a morgue, of all places,” they groaned before activating their sonic speech, screeching at the body of the curse above them. The power reflected off the stronger opponent’s resistance, damaging their throat in the process. The familiar taste of iron tinged at the back of their tongue.

Okay, don’t lose your cool. Think. Think! The dreaded feeling coursed through their body over and over.

The curse hands grabbing them through the floors seemed to be controlled by the main body they had just attacked. If they were understanding it correctly, paralyzing it should get the hands to loosen the grip on their ankles, too.

They screamed a stronger wave of power from their throat with the intention of paralyzing it; the pain in their throat was nothing compared to certain death.

Their paralyzing theory was quickly confirmed, and they leapt back. One of the hands clawed at their leg, tearing through the fabric of their socks and into the flesh of their right calf. Akemi winced in more pain, temporarily forming one of their whips to slice the hand off of them before running out of the room. Their mother’s warning voice echoed in their head. ‘Special-grades are especially dangerous.’ Akemi’s panting breath cut into the memory as they frantically ran out of the morgue and through the basement’s blood-slicked hallway. ‘If you encounter one of those, run away and wait for a sorcerer like me or your okaachan to come and help,’ they gasped in horror as they ran past a trail of slain human bodies, ranging from decomposed to semi-fresh, lining the halls of the basement, ‘or you’ll die.’

They sprinted to the red exit sign with a slight limp. They had to get out of there and back to Inumaki before the curse would be able to start moving again; which should be sooner than later, considering its grade.

Morgues. Morgues are always in basements, they thought as they reached the stairwell. They had to go up. Akemi quickly formed both whips, using them to grab at the handles of each flight of steps. They swung themself upward, one arm after another.

“Takana!?” Inumaki’s voice bounced off the walls of the stairwell and he looked down from where he was standing, his eyes catching on their bleeding leg.

“Holy shit,” Akemi landed on the steps in front of him, wincing. “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.” They grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him firmly, glaring into his eyes. “We have to go. Now.”

They grabbed his hand and ran through the door into the hospital lobby, to find it’s been morphed to miss an exit—and windows.

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Akemi groaned when they realized the curse created and expanded its domain throughout the building. They squeezed Inumaki’s hand. “I sent Gojō-sensei our location. He should…” they trailed off when they saw a red icon alert next to their SOS. The message wasn’t sent. There must’ve been no signal in the basement—

“Tsuna mayo,” Inumaki tugged at their hand as the unmistakable aura of a special-grade grew closer.

“Aw, c’mon!” they yelled at their phone, tapping on the screen aggressively and sending it again.

“Don’t move.” Inumaki unzipped his extended collar and sent cursed words to the curse that was now standing in the doorway of the stairwell. He pulled Akemi, their phone slipping out of their hand before they ran down the back hallway of the first floor for the second time, stopping at an elevator door and pointing to it.

Akemi quickly pried the doors open with their whips and craned their neck to look up the tall elevator shaft. “I hope you’re good with heights,” they said with a concerned look as they turned back.

Inumaki stared into their soul and shook his head no.

Akemi’s eyes roamed all over the place in thought, before they lit up with an idea. “Hold onto me,” they said, crouching slightly and turning their back to him.

Inumaki sensed that his cursed words wore off and knew that the curse would be coming again anytime soon. He gulped audibly before draping his arms over their shoulders and holding onto dear life as Akemi began using their whips as arm extensions to climb the wall of the elevator shaft. They increased their cursed energy output to compensate for the extra weight.

They’d climbed two floors when Inumaki accidentally let out a scared whimper from his throat.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Akemi turned their head over their shoulder towards him, and gave him a reassuring grin.

Right as they’d climbed seven, the curse came rushing through the door they’d opened, crashing into the ropes holding the elevator below, causing it to swing back and forth. The loud noise echoed throughout the elevator shaft.

“Don’t move.” Inumaki sent more words its way before coughing a fit. When he realized he was looking down 10 stories to the basement floor, he rushed to wrap his legs around them.

Akemi was exhausted, but they quickly climbed past several more floors and pried open the doors, swinging from the ledge it grabbed in the shaft and jumping back onto actual flooring, the both of them falling over and catching their breath on the tiled floor. The torn leg hurt like hell and the adrenaline only made it a little easier to tolerate.

Inumaki clutched his throat in pain as he coughed up blood. He sensed his technique wear off once again, and panic soon rose in his chest. The curse started climbing the walls of the elevator shaft, a loud thud echoing through the elevator shaft each time one of its claws grabbed the wall.

He really didn’t know what to do at this point; Akemi was burned out of cursed energy. Their leg was injured and they couldn’t run. The last thing he wanted to do was leave them to die.

Inumaki ran a mental list of what he could do, realizing he could use ‘blast off.’ The previous time he’d used that on a special-grade, his throat got crushed from the overwhelming amount of resistance. He figured a crushed throat was better than the alternative; the both of them dying here.

He took a breath, preparing himself for the pain he was about to face as one of the curse’s claws reached the bottom of the doorway.

With a flash, a wall of bright purple light tore through the building in front of them, eviscerating everything within it, including the curse. Gojō Satoru warped behind the pair, grabbing the back of their collars before warping all three of them back down to the parking lot.

“Lucky, lucky! Just in time,” he took a sigh of relief. “Are you guys okay!?” Gojō asked nonchalantly, as if an entire building he destroyed wasn't collapsing behind him. The force of the concrete and glass folding in on itself sent a wave of dust past them.

Inumaki and Akemi sat on the asphalt and stared back-and-forth between the teacher and each other, in shock.

Akemi’s jaw dropped.

The two of them needed a minute to process what the hell just happened.

“Gojō-sensei! You saved us!” Akemi yelled in relief and amazement before falling back on the pavement from where they were sitting, laughing with their arms outstretched above their head.

Inumaki quickly followed, laughing and clutching his stomach, unable to think of the last time he’d laughed this way.

“I’m glad you guys are okay, for the most part,” Gojō took a quick look at their messed up leg; after he took a mental pause at his never-before-seen sight of Inumaki laughing. “You guys are lucky you got away with just a scratch and a strained throat! Yūji lost a hand and a heart the first time he encountered a special! Let me call the assistant managers to come deal with… the collapsed building… and call Shoko to prepare for treating you guys,” they heard his feet step away as they stared up at the clouded sky.

It showed darkly through the black veil, the blend of black and blue was so pretty, Akemi couldn’t help but get lost in it. They forgot about the pain for just a moment.

“Takana?” Inumaki asked with a raspy voice, coughing. He turned his head and saw their golden eyes twinkling. The reflection of the dark clouds in their eyes made them look like a darker version of Gojō's. They were like the sky; easy to get lost in.

“I think I’m okay,” they gave him a small grin. Akemi noticed his stare and turned their head to match it. “Are you?”

Inumaki nodded his head, gaze unmoving from those caring golden eyes. It seemed like they fluttered to his lips for a moment, when one of Akemi’s hands moved to the side of his jaw. Their index finger held his jaw in place as their thumb slowly and oh-so-gently caressed the tattoo there.

“I’ve never seen them in person, before,” Akemi’s voice was low and soft, only just above a whisper. “They look pretty on you.”

Toge moved his hand to hold their wrist and let it rest there, mirroring how they held his just earlier. Their eyes met again, and this time, they both heard the strum of their hearts, at the same time.

“Ijichi will be here in 20 minutes!” Gojō yelled across the empty lot, catching Akemi and Toge off guard, causing them to frantically pull away from each other.

Gojō looked on, confused at the sight before him. He’s never seen Inumaki laugh, let alone physically touch anyone outside of training or fighting; yet here he was, laughing and actually holding eye contact with a student that just transferred a few days ago.

This Akemi must be some kid.

Chapter Text

The smell of their childhood room filled their senses and enveloped them. Am I… home?

Akemi was met with the soft cry of a child; their brother.

Is this memory, then?

A dream?

...

A nightmare.

These ones are the worst.

They stood in the corner of their bedroom and watched as a memory they’d rather forget replayed in front of them. Their brother was sobbing at the foot of their bed; where they laid unconscious.

Don’t do that.

Don’t cry.

Akemi’s invisible hand ghosted over their brother’s cheek. His tears didn’t budge beneath their imaginary fingertips.

If you cry, I’ll cry.

The threat of tears blurred their vision. Their breath hitched, chest aching.

You must be so lonely.

I’m sorry.

Streams of tears rolled down their cheeks and met at their chin. Gasps for air bubbled from their chest.

I’m so sorry.

The room around them faded into darkness, enveloping them until the only thing left was black. The only sounds were the hiccups and sobs of the two, though Akemi’s seemed to drown out everything else.

There was nothing else.

“ ‘Kemi?” a familiar voice echoed from the distance.

Kyō-chan?

“Akemi?!” the present Kyō shook them awake.

They stirred awake, the smell of their childhood room quickly replaced with the newer smell of their Jujutsu High dorm room. “You’re so loud…” they grumbled, half-awake, trying to look at him through their tear-blurred vision.

“You started crying in your sleep,” Kyō began with a weak smile, taking a seat at the edge of their bed.

“What’s this all about?” They blinked their tears away to get a better look at their twin, to find that he was crying, too. They wiped a tear that was rolling down the side of his cheek, relieved that they were actually able to.

“You’ve been asleep for nearly two weeks,” he continued, letting his sibling dry his tears—something he normally wouldn’t allow.

“Eh?!” Akemi sprung up and stared at him with wide eyes in shock. “Two weeks?!”

“Yes, two weeks, you idiot,” he continued his attempt to dry his face while his eyes seemed to be leaking tears of relief. “Do you remember anything?”

“The last thing I remember…” they pinched their chin in thought. “Hmm, Inumaki-senpai and I encountered a special grade, we got saved by Gojō-sensei, then we rode in the car with Ijichi-san to get back here… it’s all blank from there.”

“That’s when you passed out.”

“Really?! Ah, well, I guess that makes sense.”

“Ijichi-san said you passed out in Inumaki-senpai’s lap.”

“I what?!” their face flushed red immediately.

“I made that part up,” he snickered. “I just wanted to see your face.”

Akemi’s pillow flew into his.

“I should’ve seen that one coming,” Kyō picked up the pillow and threw it back at them.

“What happened?” Akemi asked after they tucked the pillow in their arms for comfort.

“Shoko-san found some form of cursed poison in your system originating in that nasty gash on your leg; probably the special grade’s cursed technique. She said it threw off the balance of cursed energy in your body to the point that it was toxic, and that your body probably shut down in a comatose state so it could restabilize itself,” he spoke as though he were an expert in the study of cursed energy imbalance, and Akemi was trying their best to follow along. “‘Probably,’ because she said she’d never seen anything like it, and whatever it was took time to affect your cursed energy to toxic levels, which is why you passed out in the car, rather than sooner.”

“Wow…” Akemi didn't know how to react to all that information at once, and it was apparent on their face. “But I thought Gojō-sensei exorcised the curse?! Shouldn’t all curse remnants disappear after that?”

“Normally, yes,” Kyō sighed. “I asked the same question; Gojō-sensei said ‘higher-leveled spirits have been popping up lately since the reawakening of Sukuna.”

They hummed in acknowledgment and in thought.

Kyō observed Akemi’s new focus on their leg from where he was sitting.

They held up the poofy covers to find a large, claw-like scar that stretched across the middle of their right calf. “Woah, this one’s sick!” They admired their new scar, shifting their leg side-to-side for a better view as they continued, “I’m surprised there aren't any bandages.”

“There were, at first, but Shoko-san healed you until you didn’t need them anymore.”

Akemi sat up against their headboard. They scanned their dorm room, pausing at the couch. Kyō’s stuff was cluttered all over that area; his books and mug were on the table and his favorite pillow and blanket covered their couch.

“You stayed here all those nights?” Akemi motioned their head towards his stuff.

“Of course,” he smiled as he looked over to the couch. “I’d beat myself up about it otherwise,” he scratched at the back of his neck. “Plus, I know you would’ve done the same,” he nudged their leg. ”…and I knew you’d be okay.”

“Are you?”

“Now that you are, yeah. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared at first, though.”

“Sorry,” they frowned.

“Don’t worry about it,” he pat their leg over the covers, “we’re jujutsu sorcerers. Willingly running into all those curses, getting hurt is almost guaranteed.”

Akemi’s frown stayed.

“I’m glad you’re still breathing.”

“Me too,” they smiled.

“Cause if you died I would’ve been super pissed,” he smirked as they chuckled in response.

Akemi tried reaching for the pocket they kept their phone in, quickly remembering they’d dropped it in the abandoned hospital, and realizing that they weren’t even in their school uniform.

“I’m... in my pajamas?” They questioned as they pet the soft fabric on their leg.

“Well, I wasn’t going to let you sleep in a bloodied uniform.”

“Ah, that makes sense…”

“Go ahead and wash up while I tell everyone you’re alive,” Kyō wagged his phone with his hand as he spoke.

Akemi shifted their body slowly, dangling their legs off the side of their bed to let them get used to the blood flow, before standing upright cautiously and stretching with a groan.

The first thing they saw after flicking the bathroom light switch was themself, in the large mirror above the sink. Seeing their reflection for the first time after a while always came with a funny feeling, like their brain was surprised they looked like that despite knowing so for so long.

They took another second to stare at their familiarly unfamiliar reflection. It looked like their jewelry was taken off, as well… They’d ask Kyō for them later. For now, the shower was calling their name.

“I’ve gotta get some food in me,” they said as they stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around their neck, petting their stomach with a pout.

“I can ask Inumaki-senpai to go get some. He’d probably be more than happy to, now that he knows you’re awake,” Kyō pulled out his phone and opened the messages app.

“You have his number?!” The hand drying their hair with the towel paused with expectancy.

“He wanted updates about you.”

“Oh,” Akemi looked down at the floor as one of their feet fiddled against the hardwood floor. “Well... how is he doing?” they asked, trying not to sound too eager.

“Probably much better now that he knows you’re
awake,” he smiled mischievously. “Inumaki-senpai was worried about you~,” he teased in a sing-song voice. “He came over every day, and—“

Another pillow to his face shut him up quickly.

“What~?” Kyō’s voice muffled into the pillow after his hands caught it against his face. He pulled it away to tease them directly again. “Embarrassed about your boyfriend~?”

Akemi grabbed the pillow from his hands and started hitting him with it repeatedly. “He is not my boyfriend!” They emphasized their words with each whack. “We are not— dating!” Kyō raised his arms in defense. “You bully! Why are you picking on someone that was just— injured?!”

“It hasn’t been five minutes and you’re already pulling that card?!” Kyō tried ducking out from under his hands to make his point before seeing it go right for his face. He manipulated his cursed energy into a mini shield on his forearm to defend himself.

“Who do you think I learned it from?!” their pillow smacked into his shield.

A snicker came from the doorway.

“Kugisaki?!” Akemi gave their brother another smack before diverting their attention to their classmate.

“—and three idiots,” she finished their sentence, stepping to the side to reveal the other first years filed tightly behind her.

“Akemi, are you okay?” Itadori’s friendly face beamed at them. “We came as soon as Kyō let us know you were awake! You’ve got a good brother!”

“I’m glad you’re awake, Akemi,” Junpei’s forehead and eyes peeked out from behind Itadori’s shoulder as he tried his best to keep his balance on his tippy toes.

“I hope you’re doing okay, Akemi. Could we get out of the doorway?” Fushiguro asked from behind the crowd.

“Aww, thanks guys,” they smiled with a touched pout. “Fushiguro-kun,” Akemi began as their classmates shuffled out of the doorway and further into the room. “Could you summon Kuroi so I can pet it?”

Itadori visibly beamed from where he was standing.

“That’s not what it’s for—“ Fushiguro dismissed.

“Aww, could you?!” Yūji sat next to Akemi so they could stare him down with pleading eyes together.

Megumi stood in front of the two with a displeased look. He tilted his face to the side and up towards the ceiling; what he tends to do when he’s trying to ignore an annoyance in front of him.

“Please, pretty-pretty-please~?” Yūji held his hands together as he begged.

“… Fine,” he grumbled, summoning the demon dog from the shadows.

The hound immediately jumped on top of the bed and spread itself across Akemi’s lap.

“Well aren’t you just a big lil’ cutie~,” they scritched under its chin and it whined with content. Itadori joined in, ruffling the fur at the top of its head.

Megumi watched them with a surprised stare.

“Is everything okay?” Akemi noticed, pausing to ask.

“Yeah, it’s just… usually not that friendly to new people,” Megumi pointed to Kuroi.

“Is that so?” Akemi asked the shikigami in their lap, which was now panting with excitement from all the attention. “I guess I just have that effect on animals,” they shrugged. “Isn’t that right? You’re just a friendly little guy, aren’tcha? Is that right?”

Clearly more than just animals, he thought to himself.

A set of knocking rapped against the door.

“It’s too early for that to be Inumaki-senpai, isn’t it?” Akemi asked, giving their brother a look.

Kyō looked back with a shrug. “Come in!” He called from the other side of the room.

“Ahhh-kemi!!” Aiuchi Kaori squealed as the door swung open, popping into an excited pose. “You’re finally awake!” She extended her arms and dove in for a hug.

“Kaori-chan!” Akemi beamed as they hugged back. “Wait,” they paused, pulling away, “Kaori-chan!?”

“Me!” Kaori grinned and squeezed into the hug again before standing back up, deadpanning, “… and Ketsuro too, or whatever.” Her quick eyes wandered across the faces in the room before landing on Akemi’s lap, “Is that a dog?” She asked casually as though she didn’t just make that grand entrance.

“ ‘Or whatever!? Did you just say ‘or whatever?!’ ” Ketsuro pushed her out of the way from behind, scoffing. “Don’t mind me, just making sure Akemi-chan sees their favorite cousin,” he smiled angelically, holding his palm to his heart as if his truth sang from it.

“Yeah, me!” Kaori bumped past him with her shoulder.

“Looks like the years of Obaa-chan’s mannerism training’s gone to waste,” Akemi stifled a giggle from their bed.

“Hey!” Kaori whined in offense, pouting an over-exaggerated pout.

“We can be proper if we wanted to,” Ketsuro nodded, crossing his arms in defense of him and his sister as if they weren’t just squabbling. “Watch, we’ll do that whole thing over again,” he said, turning around and grabbing the back of Kaori’s collar in one swift move before closing the door again.

“Ready?” they asked simultaneously through the door.

“Uh-huh…” Akemi answered, turning to snicker at their brother.

Three clear knocks rapped against the door.

“Come in~,” they humored.

The door opened swiftly. “Thank you so much for having us,” Ketsuro said in a semi-sweet voice, Kaori following not so far behind.

The two knelt at Akemi's bedside. Ketsuro bowed while Kaori burst into laughter.

The back of Ketsuro’s hand hit her on the shoulder. “Dude…” he grumbled, the heat in his cheeks rising.

“I’m… I’m sorry…” she continued to laugh, not sorry. “It’s just that… Akemi-chan… made a face… and I… I couldn’t....”

Ketsuro shot a look at his cousin—wearing the smuggest face he'd seen on them—who shrugged in answer.

“I can't win.” He stood up, storming back out into the hallway. ”I can never win!”

“Hey— Wait, hold on—“ Kaori held her stomach while trying—and failing—to suppress her laugh, chasing after her brother.

“That felt like a fever dream,” Junpei spoke into his knees from the floor. ”A confusing one, y’know? The ones where you have no clue what’s going on the entire time.”

Nobara and Yūji nodded in agreement.

“They're so weird,” Kugisaki made a confused face.

“They’re not so bad,” Itadori chimed in. “Kaori’s pretty funny.”

“Well, whatever,” Nobara waved a dismissing hand at him before turning to Akemi. “Didn't they come here to see you?”

“Oh, don’t worry. They’ll be back,” Akemi gave her a knowing little smile.

“5… 4…” Kyō began counting down with his fingers, “3… 2…” He let the last two fingers pause in the air before pointing to the door, which swung open once more.

“Back!” Kaori came in, brother in tow. She was awkwardly pulling his left arm over her right shoulder, knowing how painful it would be to resist walking along; a trick they’d used on each other since they were little.

“Ow— OW!” Ketsuro winced, silently pleading for her to let go by tapping her.

“Are you done?” Kaori smirked at him, pulling harder when he didn’t answer.

“Yes! Just— let go,” he pulled away with a huff, straightening his ruffled uniform.

“You guys are as energetic as ever,” Kyō laughed.

“Don’t act like it doesn’t run in the family,” Ketsuro pointed at the twins with a glare before sighing. “We’re glad you’re awake now, Akemi-chan.”

“It’ll take more than some special grade to stop me!” they said with their chest. “Although…” they hunched smaller as they spoke, ”that was really scary…”

Kyō pat them on the back.

“I remember our first special grade…” Ketsuro trailed off in thought.

“This guy nearly pissed himself,” Kaori sneered, jabbing him in the gut with her elbow.

“You were scared, too!”

“Yeah, but not like a wimp,” she laughed.

“Eh? You guys ran into one too? Looks like Kyō’s the last one left,” Akemi said with an amused smirk.

“Why would I want to encounter a special grade?!” Kyō said with a look of disbelief. “Do you want me to end up like you?!”

“I happen to be very cool, thank you very much,” they held their hand to their chest.

“Yeah, cool and just woke up from a coma,” he gestured to them and their bed before palming his face. “I swear I’m the only sane one in this family.”

“Probably!” Kaori smiled.

“There’s no way you’re sane,” Ketsuro laughed.

Kyō sighed. “These idiots transferred here, by the way.”

“What?!” Akemi’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?! That’s so cool!” They turned to their cousins with excited eyes. “Wait…” their excitement faltered. “Is it because of me?”

“Yes—and no,” Kaori answered. “Obaa-chan sent us here with concern for you, and for something else,” she looked at Itadori briefly before scratching at the back of her neck. “Y’know how she is.”

“Yeah…” Akemi replied. Curiosity still lingered on their face, though they decided not to ask any further, for now.

A chime rang from Ketsuro’s pocket. “Ah, shit,” he looked up at his sister after checking his phone. “We just got assigned a mission, Nee-chan.”

“Really? Now?” she frowned.

“We can keep this going later,” Akemi reassured her. “Good luck!”

Kaori hugged them tight before kissing them on the cheek. “Thank you, love. Call us if you need anything!” she chimed, pulling away so her brother could do his goodbye hug too.

“Well that just happened,” Nobara said as the door closed behind them.

“Yeah,” Akemi laughed. “They’re just like that.”

Kyō nodded in agreement. “Oh, yeah, our moms are coming to visit soon by the way,” he recalled.

“Really?” They groaned. “Is it because I got hurt?”

“I mean, this is one of the two Jujutsu hubs in Japan and they gotta check in with one of them…” he laughed. “But yes, because of that, and because our birthday is coming up.”

“Birthday?!” Kugisaki lit up. “You guys didn’t tell me your birthday’s coming up!”

“I just did—“

“We have to go shopping! It’ll be a fun day out where you guys can pick out your own gifts!” Nobara practically bounced on her feet. “That’s what we did for Itadori’s birthday,” she said, gesturing towards him with her thumb.

“Yeah, it was fun!” Yūji chimed in, ruffling the fur on Kuroi’s head. “We got a bunch of free birthday stuff from some of the stores, and then we walked around the city.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all,” Akemi agreed. “It should be before the day of, so we could spend it with our moms!”

“Isn’t one celebration enough?” Kyō groaned.

“Aw, don’t be such a downer, Kyō-chan,” Akemi laughed. “It’ll be fun!”

He shrugged it off.

“So,” Akemi began, turning to their classmates. “What have you four been up to these past two weeks?”

Nobara went on a rant about a curse that absolutely ruined her favorite pair of shoes, Yūji and Junpei raved about a new movie that they ‘just had to see,’ and Megumi didn’t think anything was notable enough to mention besides his weapons training.

“I’m really sad I missed out,” Akemi frowned.

“Don’t worry! Not that much happened, anyway,” Yūji reassured.

“Oya?” Nobara had a curious curl on her lips. “Who got you those flowers, ‘Kemi?” She pointed at a vase of flowers on their nightstand. “They weren’t here last time I visited.”

“Huh? I dunno, I just woke up—“ they turned to the flowers and froze upon seeing what they were; blue hydrangeas.

“I was going to tell ‘Kemi who it was from, but it looks like they’ve already got an idea.”

Another knock came from the door.

“Did Kaori-chan forget something?” Akemi said, thinking of their cousin’s typical behavior. “Come in!”

“Konbu,” Inumaki greeted after cracking the door open, peeking his head through the small opening. His eyes fell on theirs before smiling with them closed. His smile was bright and clearly there, despite hiding behind his zipped collar.

“Inumaki. Hi,” their voice was uncharacteristically small and their face flushed pink. It took a second for them to realize that they forgot to use honorifics. “Ah—“

Toge waved his hand in reassurance before handing over the bag of food in his hand.

“Thank you…” the blush lingered on their face. They set it down on their nightstand. “Uh, guys?” Akemi turned to their brother and other classmates. “Could we… have the room?”

Kyō gave the other four a look before nodding at his sibling. He escorted everyone into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

Akemi grabbed Inumaki’s sleeve, staring at the panting shikigami in their lap. Looking up now would be too much. “I’m sorry—“

He pulled them into a hug.

Akemi sighed into his shirt. “You must’ve been so worried...” they squeezed back.

Something in their words struck within him. Inumaki held them closer, his breath shaking.

“Crying already?” Akemi started in jest, but when they pulled away to look at his face, they found his violet eyes were pink and puffy, and his pale cheeks ran rosey beneath his zipped collar.

Inumaki somehow managed to look pretty when he was crying, too.

Akemi held his face in their hands, wiping his tears away with their thumbs. “Don’t do that,” their voice wavered. “It’s my fault,” a hand moved to clench the sheets, knuckles turning white. “I got myself hurt, and all I did was worry you…” They had so much more to say, but their throat prioritized little sobs over speaking.

Inumaki reached to hold the hand clutching the sheets, his thumb caressing over their white knuckles.

~

“What d’you think is happening in there?” Itadori paced up and down the hallway in front of the door.

“Dunno. Not my business,” Megumi shrugged from where he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

“Don’t lie, Fushiguro,” Nobara chimed in. “You were clearly curious about ‘Kemi when we were training and when we were in there!”

“You can’t be serious,” Megumi scoffed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling once more.

“Now that I think of it, Fushiguro, you really did seem distracted in there. Why’s that?” Yūji tilted his head with curiosity like a puppy.

“There was no distraction,” Megumi turned away.

“Fushiguro-kun is hiding now,” Junpei stifled a laugh from where he was sitting on the floor of the other side of the hall.

”I’m not hiding,” Megumi replied through clenched teeth, voice reaching his signature annoyed tone.

“Turning away from us while we’re trying to ask you something is certainly hiding, Fushiguro~,” Nobara teased, peeking her head into his line of sight.

“You’re just complicating things,” he grumbled, turning back. “There were no distractions, there is no hiding. That simple.”

“Hmm...” Nobara shuffled over to Yūji. “What d’you think’s so interesting about ‘Kemi that’s got Fushiguro acting this way?”

“Well, they’re pretty cool… I mean, have you seen all those piercings?”

“That can’t be it,” Junpei chimed in. “Could it be because of their relationship with Inumaki-senpai?”

Megumi shot a glare at him.

“Right, right!” Nobara lit up at the realization. ”At training, Fushiguro was distracted when ‘Kemi was talking to Inumaki-senpai! Nice catch, Yoshino!” She nudged her elbow into his arm.

“That’s not true,” Megumi spoke between gritted teeth, face turning a light shade of pink.

“It clearly is! Are you jealous of ‘Kemi~? Do you like Inumaki-senpai~?”

“N-No…” he darted his head up and down the empty hallway to see if Kyō had returned from his trip to the restroom.

“Huhuhu,” Nobara covered her mouth with her fingertips. “Looks like we’ve solved the mystery, guys.” She said, satisfied. “Itadori?”

“Huh?” He responded distractedly. His ear was pressed against the door. “Oh yeah, sorry… It’s just… I think I can hear Inumaki-senpai crying…”

“Huh?” Megumi rushed over and pressed his ear against the door next to him.

“In a hurry, Fushiguro?” Nobara teased with a snicker.

Junpei’s quiet voice called from behind them. “Guys, I don’t think we should—“

Nobara quickly joined the other two.

Junpei sighed.

~

Inumaki’s hand held the back of theirs on the covers, his eyes fixed on theirs.

The silence was anything but awkward.

“I was so scared,” they ached as they whispered through tears, their voice the smallest he’s heard it. He squeezed their hand.

Akemi’s eyes flitted to the zipper at the top of his collar, their other hand moving ever so slowly to hold it, before pulling it down at the same speed.

Inumaki watched their eyes as they watched his zipper open, their golden gaze moving to the side of his face.

They held his cheek, gently wiping at the streak of tears there. He leaned into their touch.

Their heart skipped a beat at the thought of their touch being missed so much. He had visited them every day, after all.

Their thumb gently moved down to the tattoo there, tracing the circles before tracing the line to his lips.

Close.

The thumb on his lip was awfully close to their own.

When had he gotten so close?

Their foreheads touched, hands intertwined. His gaze was unmoving.

Their gaze returned, heart swelling at the realization that his eyes had never left theirs.

“Did you miss me?” they whispered.

Right then, the door swung open and hit the wall with a loud thud, jolting them up.

Yūji, Megumi, and Nobara spilled over each other on the floor, jaws agape, gawking at the sight before them.

“Okaka!” Inumaki scolded his kōhais, quickly chasing them out of the room.

“What the hell are you special grade idiots doing?!” Kyō’s voice echoed through the hallway. “I left you guys alone for one second. One second,” he paused to take a breath. “I mean, I understand Itadori and Kugisaki, but you too, Fushiguro? Really?”

“I told them they shouldn’t,” Junpei whispered.

The three knelt side-by-side on the floor in front of Kyō, fully accepting the scolding from their classmate.

Whatever he had returned to seemed too hectic. ’Are you okay?’ he signed, checking on them.

’I’m okay. Scared me. Embarrassed,’ they signed in return.

’You can sign?’ Inumaki asked with his hands before pointing back-and-forth between the twins.

Akemi nodded again. ’We didn’t talk much as kids, so we learned,’ their gaze shifted to their brother. ’Now we just use it whenever.’

’Now we have more ways to speak,’ Inumaki smiled. ’That makes things more interesting.’

’I guess I can’t escape this, no matter the language,‘ Kyō rolled his eyes.

Akemi blushed with embarrassment. ’Idiot,’ they shooed Kyō out the door, closing it behind him with a light thud.

’Would you rather us talk like this?’ they asked their upperclassman across the room.

’It’s good practice. Plus, my vocabulary is much bigger this way,’ he laughed at his own joke.

’You should smile more often. Smile,’ they repeated the sign after getting nothing but a stare from the other.

’Pardon?’

’I like your smile—‘

Inumaki grabbed their wrists so they couldn’t sign anymore. “Okaka!” he looked to the floor, trying and failing to hide his blushing face.

’I only sign the truth,‘ Akemi signed after shaking free of his grasp.

Inumaki took a seat on their bed again, feeling lightheaded.

’Did you learn how to sign at a young age, as well?’ they asked, sitting next to him.

’Yeah, I sign to communicate with my family and in public,’ he sighed. ’Sign language isn’t that common in the jujutsu community, which is why I use safe words here.’

’That’s so nice,’ Akemi fully turned towards him. ‘It’s nice to see you talk about yourself.’

’I guess I don’t get to do that often,’ he shrugged. ’I don’t hate it; I think it’s nice to talk about myself to people I trust.’

’You trust me?’ their hands slowed just a little. ’I’m honored; you’ve only known me for less than a month, Inumaki-senpai.’

’Call me Toge.’

’What?’ Akemi blinked. ‘Are... you sure?’

Toge nodded. ’That’s what my friends call me.’

’I see...’ their ears perked involuntarily. ’Toge it is, then,’ a goofy little grin spread across their face.

’Are you used to people using your personal name?’

’A side effect of being a twin, I guess,’ they laughed. ’Oh, I almost forgot; thank you for the flowers,’ they motioned their head towards the flowers on their nightstand. ’I remember telling you they meant gratitude…’

’That’s why I got them. With gratitude that you’re alive, and that I’ve met you.’

’What? Wait what?’ it was their turn to grab his wrists. ”You can’t just say that to people,” they blushed.

’But I want to,’ he signed insistently, trying to maintain a faux sense of innocence. ’ You’re a very genuine person.’

’Where is all of this coming from?’ Akemi laughed, trying too hard to will away the blush on their face. ’I’m nothing special.’

’You’ll see, soon.’

Akemi stared at him with a confused look.

’I’ll show you how I see you. For now, rest.’

’What?’ their ears perked up. ’You’re just going to leave it at that?’

’Aren’t your classmates waiting for you outside?’

’I guess… Wait,’ they signed as he stood. ’I wanted to tell you my phone broke during that whole thing.’

’No more calls?’

’No more calls,’ they frowned. ’I think I’ll manage, though.’

’If you say so...’ he mirrored their face. ’Rest well, Akemi-kun.’