Violent Delights, JJK

Two Broken, Intertwined Souls

Or at least, no one ever seemed to talk about it.

Megumi though, began to find it unsettling to witness that kind of dedication to someone in real life — like he was intruding on something whenever they interacted in front of him. Suguru made him feel very uneasy, even though he was generous to him and never did anything to make him feel that way initially. Megumi just didn't understand him, didn't understand Ayame's love and adoration for the man, or the relationship that they shared. A few years before, Megumi tried to understand by asking Satoru about their connection when Ayame left to be with Suguru and Yūto for a few weeks at their temple, when he thought Satoru would drop his walls and be honest about it.

Satoru's response, however, was less than helpful, and even less kind. Megumi dropped the topic instantly afterwards.

Now that he's here though, he kind of wishes he hadn't. Maybe if he had pressed more and got some background on the why, he could be of more use now. Maybe he could have provided her more support after the demon parade if he knew, even just a little, of why she was going through what she was right now.

But, in all truth, Megumi just thinks it's painfully absurd Satoru even let Ayame be present in Suguru's last moments, let alone absorb his soul into hers for the rest of her life. Satoru knows what that means for her, knows how that can affect her in the long run, and yet Megumi knows he just stood there and passively watched it happen. He knows because deep down, he probably would have done the same. And he'll never understand the conflict and pain Satoru went through after killing his best friend, and then watching as he laid the groundwork to lose the girl who he thought of as his child next.

It's been a month since that night, and nothing much has changed from the first week in that time until today. When Megumi walks out onto the patio like he does every morning after breakfast, he's shocked to see that someone else is already outside— and that the someone is none other than Satō Ayame, who  hasn't been in their garden or outside of the house since Suguru passed away. She's sitting on one of the three hand-carved wooden benches in the garden, staring blankly out at the vast field of flowers ahead of her. Megumi notices that her hair has carefully and precisely split itself between its two colors now that she's got Suguru as a part of her — one side, a pristine white that glimmers beneath the sunlight, the natural hair color she's had from the moment he met her; and the other side, such a deep black that Megumi's sure it could rival the midnight sky itself.

He doesn't like the change, doesn't like that he can't look at her and see the full moon in his dark night anymore, but he'll never tell her that. He just has to learn how to accept the darkness all the same.

Megumi takes his time making his way over to his best friend. She likely sensed his presence the moment he stepped outside, but he doesn't want to scare her by coming at her too suddenly. It's been weeks since she's spoken a word or been in anyone's presence for longer than fifteen minutes, and Noritoshi warned him that when she finally decided to come out, he needed to proceed with caution.

'She's going to be fragile because she's lost the only family she's known since she was born. We can only make up for so much, so please be very kind to her, Megumi-san.'

He didn't need the advice, but he took it all the same. Noritoshi is one of the very few people outside of Megumi and Satoru that cares about Ayame just as much as they do, so Megumi knows it came purely from the heart.

Once Megumi reaches the bench, he stands quietly beside it. The familiar buzz from Ayame's cursed energy rings lowly in his ears, instantly bringing his mind to a state of calm. He missed this feeling so much, like an addict picking up their drug for the first time in a while.