Within the clothing shop, racks upon racks of various colorful cloth lined the store and towards the back, two light blonde individuals were grimacing as they gave looks to each other in front of a brown curtain. Luckily, only a few customers were present who didn’t stick around long after. Both were standing in front of a singular brown curtain blocking them from witnessing the dry heaving mess.
That mess would be me.
I thought I had it! Crumpled up, on my knees, just sitting in front of a bucket. I looked back up to the mirror on the seat in front of me and managed to activate my Ketsuryugan again.
A surge of red surrounded each corner of the room, a creeping sensation came over me as I kept staring into my reflection. I physically felt like I was going to lose yesterday’s breakfast if I keep going at it. I thought having a knife twisted in you was bad enough, but that was just hell.
M: (We’re doing as much as we can Kohaku…) (Hisashi)
B: (Yeah, you just need to face this hurdle first!) (Yasu)
S: (...) (Hikari)
What am I doing wrong?! Why can’t I do this?! Wha-
Everything around me started to blur as various shades of reds from the floor, the bench, and everything else were seeping into each other. My heart was pounding out of my chest, I couldn’t fight it.
'For all this time, I couldn’t face this, why did I have to face it then?'
I lost count of how many times it happened, I kept myself hunched over. My body shivered violently; I couldn’t keep my composure. Tears streamed down my face, glistening like a ruby before rippling into the bloody sea of a room surrounding me. For not eating breakfast yet, I couldn’t tell what exactly was going on anymore.
The seeping just became more of a swirl, constant in its motion. I couldn’t make out the muttering I heard. Trying to distract myself I shut my eyes, hoping to get into my psyche.
***
Suddenly, nothing. I didn’t recognize where I was anymore. Everything was still dark but only a few seconds passed.
My surroundings became much cooler, standing straight, I opened my eyes to find a giant white space. Well to be more accurate, the land was cloaked in sheets of white. I wrapped my arms around the shivering form of my body and started boiling myself as strange as that sounded. Leaving bits of steam off when the snow touches my skin in the middle of the blizzard before me, I used [Mind’s Eye] and walked until I found more wooden areas and a small trail of red upon the white canvas before me.
Even with the indents in the snow being less visible, it must’ve been recent when someone else was coming through here. As soon as I touched the track, I felt a creeping sensation reaching me as a pointed object pricked the back of my neck. All I could tell was that it had no curves, so my mind immediately ran through anything like a senbon, an arrow a-
“Now, I’ll ask, and I’ll only ask once, don’t make a move and you’ll live another day, are we clear?”
'So, I’m physically here, well-'
***
“So fucking stupid” (???)
“Bits of steam…” (Hibiki)
“You felt cold!” (????)
“I GET IT GEEZ! YES, I REGISTERED THAT LATE BUT, COULD YOU BLAME ME?!” (Kohaku)
Yes. (???, ????, Hibiki)
UGH!
***
ANYWAYS, the perpetrator just like the voice didn’t even give me the time to respond before withdrawing the weapon and picking me up by the scruff of my neck and hoisting me over their shoulder. All I could see was the white silk hood this figure draped over their figure.
“Hey wai-”
“^@#$%@!&”
I couldn’t process what was even going on anymore before a searing pain ran through my head. I couldn’t keep up with it all, I even had to stop using [Mind’s Eye].
“Ah!”
“Oh, shit!.”
The throbbing sensation was starting to come to pass but the nauseousness was too much to bear with the last thing I saw was the long silky black hair of my assailant-
***
Such a strong word for someone who just nabbed your ass from a blizzard. (???)
If I do remember, that wasn’t the last time (Hibiki)
I think you really had the easiest time going along with things and you knew the series but questioned so little so far. (????)
Hey, we’re getting there! (Kohaku)
***
It was then that I got to see myself, I looked a lot bigger. My muscles were more developed, my hair was longer, in a mullet no less! Scars etched my arms like stripes on a zebra. I looked like a badass!
But that was it.
The person in white, begun their trek through the snow, with my body slung over one shoulder. I couldn’t do anything else but admire the view of my glorious dump truck until their figures were lost in the snow.
I don’t know how long I stood there afterward. Did I die again? Was that my last chance?
I wasn’t cold anymore, even touching the ground it felt like I was going through it. When I came to, I was in a white space, no trees in sight but once I took a step forward all that changed.
A blinding pink light enveloped the whole space, I was alerted to the loud clicking of shoes as I started taking in where I was now, from a snowy landscape to the marble halls.
'WHERE THE FUCK AM I NOW?!'
A blonde woman had her hair in a ponytail as she walked down in a purple suit with a white dress shirt with a man well over ten feet tall, his copper skin made his white slicked back hair and scruff on his chin stick out.
Neither one of them paid me any mind as the lady kicked down what came into view for me. A set of white doors and strutted forward, her companion didn’t lose stride with her for a second, so I guess this was an everyday thing to him.
“ALRIGHT! WHO FUCKED UP?!”
“Sweetie, do calm down. There may have just been an accident.”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT! THIS IS INEXCUSABLE!”
The women kept going so just like the guy, I joined along. Now that I got a closer look at her, she smelled of lavender while the titan of a man beside me surprisingly smelled like mangos. Dawning a half-opened dress shirt in a similar manner to the women, I tried to keep it together… totally not pitching a tent of my own…
B- besides the point! I wasn’t too sure how… visible I was this time around. I could smell and see just fine but decided to keep silent. I only knew for sure that I’d wouldn’t want to be the ones who pissed off that lady!
We turned a corner to another door, and she actually BROKE these ones off their hinges while one went flying, surprisingly not making a sound
“WHAT’S UP, BITCHES?!”
What we walked into was one of the grandest rooms I’ve ever seen, a giant meeting room with eight being surrounding a table while more seats were lined and god…
***
Everyone was fucking hot, right? (???)
So~ fucking hot! You should’ve been there! (Kohaku)
***
Urk! Don’t distract me!
“Can you not see that we’re busy?!”
“Oh?! I’m so sorry, it’s just that YOU ALL LOST 10,000 SOULS! If you haven’t exactly realized it yet, knowing where they are is a two-way street!”
“HOW DARE-”
HOLY SHIT!
Again, a veil of darkness cover my eyes and I was back in the black space before I could even look at who was talking. I was getting more used to it but it definitely needs some work if I was going to be here often.
This time, things weren’t as obvious. It was never this long in the dark, that’s when I felt things start to become cooler. But I still couldn’t see. I was already trying to process what I witnessed but now I was here.
This is new…
Slowly, my heartbeat began to slow as I breathed in and out. The first thing I took in was the sensations around me. My back was against a soft surface, for one this surface was longer than the bed I was on for sure.
I couldn’t reach this far laying down as my current self, so I was certain that I was bigger, not too sure if it was my old body though. From the body I saw first I couldn’t be precise, but I think this was definitely later than what happened. My body felt wider, my head felt cooler, no hair reaching the back of my neck, so I guess I was rocking a different look.
I tried to lift my right arm only to feel something soft but this time it wasn’t anything fluffy. Squishier….
H- holy shit…. There’s no way.
I slid my arm out and my senses were becoming clearer. Thick and lingering, this soothing aroma was familiar to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It didn’t take much longer to confirm what was going on.
The low moans against my ears were enough to make my face red, two ladies were at my sides strong enough to hold my arms in place. Although the area was cool, I could feel a similar smooth fabric against my back and arms. I was out here bare-chested, in what seemed to be a robe and a pair of boxers. As much as I was nervous, everything was just strangely comforting.
One of the girls lifted their finger onto my neck and was starting to reach my chest when we heard a deep low growl, she immediately removes her hand and kept her body close to my left arm as the girl on my right let out a chuckle.
“So, what is it that you want, exactly?”
This voice was more throaty, low in tone, but each word was spoken softly and had a level of clarity that made me shiver. My body went stiff for a second before I eased up. It felt like my heart skipped a beat in their presence.
“Well? We don’t have all day, darling.”
It didn’t take anything else for a tent to form in my pants and as I hoped nobody noticed, all three of them chuckled.
“Can I-” (Kohaku)
“No.”
“You-” (Kohaku)
“What’s your name?”
“Koha-”
“Alright then. I would like to make sure before we do go any further, are you alright with what happens today?”
“What happens today?” (Kohaku)
The chuckle from all three of them had me shaking in my boots.
“It’s anything you want.”
I kept my mouth shut as the room went silent. No matter what I said, I still couldn’t see.
God, just what have I gotten myself into.
“Pfft- I’m sorry, do continue.”
I just don’t understand what….
“Yes.”
Another fucking mind reader, what does that make me 3-0 on mind readers?! Wait, so I don’t even need to say anything. Fuck that’s-
***
SPARE US THE DETAILS! (????)
I wouldn’t mind hearing a little more actually… a little spice. (???)
… (Hibiki)
***
The silence still emanated through.
At a moment’s notice, my head was pushed down onto a pillow as a soft sensation was upon my lips. Cool to the touch, I didn’t want the moment to end as I went in again hoping to high heaven.
“Woah, slow your roll. I can’t be here making someone else jealous.”
I'm telling you that when this person could rob me and I'd say thank you, I mean every word.
“I won’t be jealous...”
I'm here with FOUR PEOPLE, FOUR!
“And the sky is falling, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU-”
“S-SHUT UP!”
I'M IN HEAVEN!
My left leg was slowly lifted, and for a moment I anxiously waited with anticipation. a light touch began to pepper me with soft kisses going up my thigh before stopping. My vision started to come to me, but I felt this small tug in my chest.
A tinge of sadness came over me as a hand was placed on the side of my chin.
“Things will get better from here; I can promise you that. At some point, you’ll find some people who’ll help guide the way. Just don’t be afraid to take that first step okay?”
I was focusing hard to know who I was looking at but all I was able to get was a look at their hair, short, orange… spiky? and long, wild, black.
“Oh! Uh- Pay attention to what happens this time, it’ll save you a lot of trouble.”
So, for the fourth and final time today, I’ve felt a tug against my consciousness as I was pulled out and back in my own body.
[ Genjutsu Defense: Complete]
[ Acquired: ------ ‘s Gift]
[Clues: 3]
“I-Is everything alright in there, Kohaku?” Chino took a little peek through the curtain for a second before hiding away.
“I’m done… not exactly proud of it. Can I get some water?”
A water bottle was rolled under the curtain, I snatched that shit up like it was nectar for the gods just chugged it. My arm was shaking to the point that I couldn’t hold it straight with one.
I was panting, tuckered out but the room was finally back to normal, and I caught a good look at myself in the mirror“”
***
(... What do you want?)
“Could you show me what I was supposed to do?”
(Mm… that’s a lot... Is there something else?)
(How can I find me?)
(That’s about the dumbest question I’ve heard in a long ass time. And I hear questions often.)
(Fine! Then, could you give me some advice?)
(On wha- You know what? Sure, let’s do that. )
***
A white sleeveless haori with violet clouds outlined in gold wrapped around the form of my shaking body and I took a minute to collect myself, for someone who acted as if they knew me. They were a bitch for being that confusing.
(For the love of god slow down!)
Was that supposed to be a warning?! They knew?!
“Hey boss, I think I’ll stick to black and white for now…” (Kohaku)
“How are you feeling?” (Oyashiro)
“Is the coat alright?” (Chino)
“Pfft, The coat’s fine, thanks for asking…” (Kohaku)
“You know that’s not what she meant. Again, how are you feeling?” (Oyashiro)
I had to wash my mouth out and store my… bucket into the scroll before exiting the dressing room, “…I like it a lot…. thank you.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you said something. What was that?” Chino leaned forward, cupping her ear.
“T- Thank you…” I got a little flustered as my cheeks turned redder by the minute
Oyashiro smiled at the two of us before scruffing up our hair and paying. The coat was the only thing I got to try on while had the rest of whatever they chose for me stored in a scroll.
We went to a restaurant afterward, but I didn’t really have the stomach for much after all the… stuff. I was exhausted and ended up falling asleep.
When I woke up, we were on a boat. As for where we were going, my only guess was the same place the Chinoike had to settle in, the Valley of Hell.
