Ayako squeezed out the excess water from the damp towel by twisting it to its tethers. The leaking water dropped to the clear basin, staining the fresh tap water red with hints of blood. He ran one of his free hands through his hair, the slight wetness of his touch taking his hair strands to the slicked back and collected shape they were now. No longer loose curls, but straightened grazes adorning his head, some slightly unfurling and resting along his forehead as stray streaks. Cold sweat slid down his skin and made his palms clammy, like a storm of anxiety that drowned him. Ayako returned to his earlier job at which he got back to his seat, near Amé's unconscious figure, sitting on his chair with the bucket of water by his side on the floor.
His current white shirt was stained with water, blood, and some orange from the betadine that had leaked on his jeans as well, and the fabric of the shirt stuck uncomfortably to his bare skin from the sweat caused by fatigue.
He was so tired. Heal after healing, he'd replaced the bandages too soon from their time of wrapping, unable to look at the pooling and staining blood anymore. Amé was so pale, to the point where he could have sworn that when he'd checked her eyeballs beneath her eyelids for any eye reactions to declare her alive, her irises had lost some of the red in them. He did his best to change her clothes, bringing her something comfortable and easy to remove and put on. He didn't know how many times he'd have to change the white gauze and redo the process: cleaning the wound, using his seal, rebandaging the wound, and doing it all over again just a few minutes later.
He was so tired. It scared him, seeing Amé in the state she was currently in. He moved his warm hand across her skin and truly, fully felt the change of temperature between their bodies. As cold as ice, her hands and arms were. He'd caress his fingers across her cheeks, hoping that their warmth would somehow return with a miracle, that this all was a bad nightmare. His eyes welled with sadness at his dear friend's state. It was true that Ayako didn't get to stay around them while he traveled the world as a designer and fashion model, but he truly didn't have a choice.
If only he could have told Amé that before he left on your orders.
No matter that now, he told himself. He'd have to take care of Amé vigorously to bring her back to her earlier health if that was ever possible. If he could give up a part of himself to save her, to save Sebastian and Amé both, he would have. The dear friends that once stood by his side, stronger than he could ever comprehend, were brought to their near deaths by a human, a jujutsu sorcerer who was born with a lucky roll of fate. The roll that lucked out for them on that same day.
Ayako snapped the towel to the side, clearing off any excess drops of water. He had to have the cloth completely dry to pick up the rest of the blood he had to clean off of Amé. You'd gone and come back, but he still wasn't done.
"Styles, get over here! Big lady made dinner!"
His head snapped towards the slightly ajar door after Toji had called out to him from the kitchen. With a sigh, he placed down the towel on the bedside drawer. Ayako placed his hands on his knees as he supported himself to stand after sitting for so long. Walking towards the door and exiting the room, he decided to leave the door fully open, just in case Amé woke up or turned. He wanted to hear every sound made. As he walked the hallway, Ayako's eyes made their way to the room where Sebastian was lying down. The door ajar and the scene lay out to his sight. In his head, he could only think about the way it was now Sebastian's turn in his healing round.
He took a deep breath in, still taking in the look of the body, and exhaled, seemingly also letting out some of the burden that was on his shoulder. God, was he exhausted.
"My lady, give me five minutes. I'll be right there."
"Take your time!"
As your voice echoed in his background, Ayako took a few steps forward into Sebastian's room. He slowly shut the door behind him, wanting at least a silent moment of privacy to assess the situation at hand and to take a short break from the noise coming from the kitchen. Soon after you'd gotten home and Uraume was present, a fight kept breaking out in the base until you'd broken it down by tying up Uraume to a dining chair and Toji to the metal door. At least the two seem to be getting along, for now.
Sukuna was yet to wake up from his slumber.
Satoru had paid the café's bill, saving everyone at the table from the embarrassment of not having both a wallet and a single penny in their pocket. At their convenience, the students spotted a curse in the nearby area and wanted to take it out themselves, leaving Mariah and their teacher stranded alone in the middle of the busy street.
The crowds passed by in every minute that the two adults stood in awkward silence. Satoru dug one of his hands deep into his pocket, scrolling through emails and messages on his phone using his free arm for the time being. Mariah kept shifting herself on the tips of her toes, jumping to her heels. She intertwined both of her hands behind her back as she chewed on her lips obnoxiously. Her eyes took a look around, scanning everything and everyone.
The crowds were getting tighter, more packed. Mariah couldn't help but find herself inching closer and closer to Satoru when people started to block her vision, scared that she'd lose the man and get lost once more in Japan. She did not want to live a past experience. Though Satoru did stand out as a sore thumb among people because of his height and stature, she was short.
These were short-people problems. She was about to lose her visual soon. Not even her heeled boots helped much.
"Satoru, how about we walk to the side-"
"Scared from a little crowd, English?"
Mariah walked straight ahead to Satoru and nudged the side of his arm, earning a faint chuckle from the male as he dropped his phone back into his pocket. He dodged another angry hit by sliding himself to the side. Mariah just dropped her hands to her waist, feet tapping and face pouty. Satoru could only sigh at her before an idea came to mind.
"Let's find a less busy place, grumpy. Follow me."
He walked through the crowds slowly, trying to reach the other side of the path. It was clear how much stature Satoru had since everyone parted slowly when he approached. Mariah followed suit behind him, using the leeway left by his huge figure. Every once in a while then, she'd bump and cross paths with passersby and walk even quicker to stay in level with the white-haired male.
Satoru briefly looked behind him, scoffing at the struggle Mariah was going through. Like a bag in the wind, swaying with every tiny puff. His mouth turned upwards into a slight smirk, blue eyes lighting up in entertainment. How could such a fragile thing survive a battle as fierce as the one that had happened between him and the Special Grade's Servant? He should have known the woman would have been nothing but a burden. She was so easily moved. Mariah was using her arms' length to go through the crowds like a fork, eyes tightly shut and face scrunched in discomfort as she tried to push away a couple of individuals surrounding her. She muttered excuses and apologies like a repeated chant. Satoru could only guess she said so to bring attention to herself so people could automatically part away, but the truth was that it was all futile. Most people in this certain city didn't know anything but Japanese. The man paused amidst the people suddenly, unbeknownst to Mariah that she was going to run straight into him by pushing forward even more. He turned around and watched as her little figure pushed through more and more. As her hands were flailing around, and her body was struggling to push against the sudden tide of people, Mariah bumped herself head-first into a strong figure, arms still working around her to swat people away mindlessly; like a zombie, she waved.
She immediately snapped her eyes open, ready to apologize to whoever she hit, as she did with the previous others she surpassed, but she was surprised to be met with a smiling face, blue eyes squinted in glee, cheeks tugged from the wide smile. A pretty familiar face that pushed a nerve in her since she'd seen it, she had to confess.
"Tch, it's just you."
Mariah pulled herself together and took a step back, bringing her arms to position next to her sides, finally a moment of stillness. She huffed at Satoru, a small groan left her when the man raised an eyebrow at her, ticking her off and pushing her to her patience's edge as she watched him make fun of her silently. Her brows furrowed in unhinged anger. Suddenly, Mariah was kicking his shin with the best pair of boots she'd ever worn, taken from Shoko, of course.
Satoru didn't even flinch; he didn't react at all, like a solid boulder being hit by a soft breeze of wind, unmoving and unaffected. He moved his hands out of his pockets, crossing them over his chest in an intimidating manner that was supposed to make Mariah back off. But apparently, she hadn't gotten the clue and kept kicking his leg harder and more frequently. Her victim took a deep breath in, exhaled, and with a roll of his eyes, he grabbed Mariah's uniform collar and started dragging her with him across everyone. Screams of rebuttal left her mouth as she fought hard against Satoru's hold on her, digging her heels into the pavement and arching her neck and body away from Satoru as much as possible.
"Oi, stop causing a scene. People are staring at you like a crazy foreigner."
"Well, I'm about to be one if you don't let me go!-"
After a few minutes of pointless fighting, Satoru noticed they were already on the sidewalk, further from the crowds. Deciding to save him the trouble, he released his hold on Mariah's collar and allowed the woman to drop to the floor with a thud. Her back ached as she spread her sprained body on the floor. A moan of pain left her throat as she stayed still on the pavement.
"Ugh,...You asshole!"
In a heartbeat, like an outburst waiting to happen at the worst possible moment, Mariah was quick to jump to her feet and, as soon as she found the stability in her to keep upright, sent a punch to Satoru's face. Her hand was on quick income that she was sure he would not be able to avoid the attack. Just as the punch was about to reach his face, an invisible force stopped her actions. Some barrier had held her hand millimeters away from Satoru's face.
Mariah's angered expression snapped into that of pure shock and surprise. Now that, that was something she did not expect. Satoru tilted his head slightly downwards, raising both his eyebrows and giving off a nod as if trying to make a point.
"See, nothing can touch me, English."
"Holy shit... What the actual fuck?!"
"It's called infinity, honey."
Toji placed the plates on the kitchen counter per your order. He snickered when he heard another wince come out of Uraume's mouth, who was washing the unclean silverware that was left on base in case of emergency. They could not eat with dust-covered utensils, so you had tasked Uraume with cleaning every single one under the sink. Uraume, however, had a very hard time doing so as their injuries flared with each passing second and move.
Just a few minutes into washing the forks and knives under the running tap, Uraume suddenly yelped. Toji paused, you paused, and everyone stopped to see what was wrong with them. Turns out, the heat of the water got warmer all of a sudden to the point where steam filled the sink. Uarume didn't bother to turn off the tap as they took a few steps backward and cradled their burnt arm. With a shake of their head, Uraume cursed at themselves.
"Fucking hell..."
"Language, Uraume."
"Frick."
"Don't test my patience, you."
Toji chuckled at the bicker moving back and forth between you and Uraume. He eyed you as you pulled up the bloodied sleeves of your white blouse, getting ready to throw hands with the insufferable servant in front of you. Your face was contorted to that of anger and the emotion of 'I have had enough of this bitch.' Wanting nothing more than just a few moments of peace so he could enjoy some good food after over a day with none, Toji walked over to your side and took to standing behind you.
"What the-"
Placing both hands around your biceps in a firm, immovable grip, Toji shifted you with him as he moved to the table. Like a baby penguin being cradled to move elsewhere by their parent. Toji waddled with you to the table, forcing you to take a seat with an annoyed huff. He forced you down on the head seat of the table, pushing the chair forward like a gentleman. You crossed over your hands around your chest, allowing a loud grunt to leave your throat. Your gloom was eliciting a smug grin from Uraume.
Toji dusted off his hands and placed them on his waist. He had changed back to his earlier clothes, the comfortable ones before Ayako forced him to wear others. He pulled up one of his hands and accusingly pointed at you with his index finger.
"Sit, big lady."
Toji cracked his entire body to the other side, facing Uraume. His voice was immediately laced with venom that could poison the air. His eyes turned into slits as he stared at the said prisoner with such ferocity.
"And you, midget, wipe that petty smile off your face and sit. One minute, I'll have the food cooked by big lady on the table. Stuff your pretty mouths, both of you, and cut the fight. We've had enough of that for the entire week!"
The man stomped his foot on the ground, trying to make an ending statement. Uraume didn't open their mouth to speak against him, but the signs on their face screamed how badly they did not want to share a meal with you.
This was going to be another long, chaotic hour you had no nerve to handle with patience.
A muffled crash of items echoed in the halls, loud and clear. The noise brought you to your feet abruptly, legs vibrating with the urge to bolt to the source. Toji pulled out a gun from the pocket of his hoodie, aiming it steadily, directly at the empty hallway. He knew Ayako liked working in pure silence, and the man didn't call out for help, so there must have been something unusual going on. Uraume, on the other hand, seeing you and Toji high on alarm and attention, grabbed one of the steaming knives they had just washed and used the metal in a defensive position.
You took a small glance at your quiet room, where Sukuna lay asleep, and turned your eyes back to the dim hall. Your foot slowly took a step forward, trying your best to be quiet. The cursed energy in your being shook like an unyielding storm, wanting to be released from its confines and limits at the lick of adrenaline. Toji followed your steps, giving you backup. He couldn't handle the silence anymore, so he spoke out loud.
"Styles, what going on?!"
No answer, not even a sound. Nothing. The only buzz you could make out was that of a heavily breathing lung and two heartbeats that plunged their rib cages like animals needed to be set free.
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚- 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒!
Knowing exactly what this could only mean, your guard was dropped to its all-time low and you leaped right through the hallway, ignoring Toji's warning shouts and slamming into the room where Sebastian was supposed to be. The sight only made your breath get caught in your throat. With your mouth wide open, right before you could say a word, Ayako's relieved voice spoke out with merry joy.
"Help us, would you?!"
He was helping up an awake Sebastian from the bed as he adjusted him into an upright position. Face contorted to that of pain, Sebastian used one of his arms to hold on to his side and the other wrapped around Ayako's shoulder for support. A grunt left his mouth when Ayako tried to straighten his back a little more, unable to take notice of your current presence.
"Easy on me, would you? I just woke up from the dead."
Sebastian's voice was hoarse, yet uncannily deep and frightening. He was unsheathing his true self before the two of you without even knowing it.
"Well, you wouldn't be this way without me or my lady, so bear a little, yeah?!"
Sebastian was going to cough out his rebuttal, but he stopped himself when he was engulfed by a warm embrace, cradling him as a whole and erasing the existence of pain with just its contact. A soft face cuddled into his neck, warm tears staining his bandaged shoulder, and two arms wrapped around him so tightly that he was afraid he'd be squeezed to liquid underneath that hold. A small, soft smile replaced his frown and surprise, all pain long gone from his self.
"Welcome back, Sebastian..."
"I'm back, my lord..."
A/N: Hello, dear readers! Thank you all for being here and the many nice comments. Some of the comments truly made my day and I greatly appreciate them. Thank you, and have a good day / night!