ᴀʟʟᴇɢᴇᴅʟʏ ☀︎︎ ɢᴇᴛᴏ s. x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ☀︎︎

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ғᴏᴜʀ

27 November 2005
Approximately 12:02 A.M.
Tochigi Prefecture
Nikko, Japan

Softly opening the door, you peered into the room. Geto wasn’t in here, so Vila must have moved him into a different room. Good. Surely your movements would have awoken him had he’d slept here.

In your right hand, you clutched the curled-up chain tightly, the blade of the kusarigama hanging low near the floor. Pulling the panel back over the door quietly, you walked towards the statue of the Buddha. In your left hand, you held a bundle of white daisy flowers. After placing them in front of the statue, you bowed your head, hands together in prayer.

Opening the door leading outside, you walked into the yard, seating yourself in the grass. It was pitch black, but with your eyes having already adjusted to the darkness, you could make out the shapes around you. You folded your legs under you, laying the weapon in front of you.

The silver blade shined in the moonlight, illuminated with a yellow glow from the dimly lit torches on the side of the house. The chain rattled softly as you shifted it in front of you. The mending wasn’t perfect. The chain near the blade was much weaker than the chain you fused it with. The blade needed to be sharpened before it would cut anything. Not to mention the work you’d have to put into being able to control this chain. It was much heavier than before.

But for now, you needed to focus on one thing. Concentrating your cursed energy into the weapon. This was how you first developed your technique. By infusing your cursed energy into the blade, and always having some stored inside, when you activated your curse, you manipulated the energy inside rather than the blade and chain.

It required a lot of time, peace and quiet, and concentration. The first time you tried this, you were in the same spot for almost three days. And if that’s what it took again, you’d gladly do it.

“Are you beginning, Miss L/n?”

Turning your head, you saw Vila in the doorway of her quarters, pulling her robe closer to her body. She must have seen you come out here.

“Yes. Please make sure no one interrupts me, Granny Vila,” You nodded.

“Of course,”

“I owe you one, big time,” You sighed, closing your eyes. Taking a deep breath, your eyes closed slowly. You placed your hands in your lap, the tips of your fingers coming together to form a circle.
You hadn’t noticed Geto before you closed your eyes, and he was containing his laughter. That thing you were doing with your hands...were you copying Shikamaru? He shook his head, quietly laughing to himself. Of course, your otaku self would find a way to incorporate the manga into your own cursed technique.

Watching from a distance, his amusement soon turned into amazement. Your body lit up with a blue aura, the sure sign of your visible cursed energy. He could feel it spreading towards him. But before it could get too far, it was retracted. Instead, he watched it pour into the blade of your kusarigama.

For hours, you sat in the exact same spot. Your breathing was even and paced, chest rising and falling rhythmically. Your cursed energy was still visible, even as the sun rose, and stayed high into the sky. Geto had watched you the entire time, both curious and cautious.

“It’s best to leave her be until she is ready,” Turning, Vila walked up behind him, offering a cup of coffee. He thanked her. “Y/n had done things like this many times before.”

“I’m afraid she’ll exhaust herself,” Geto said, concern laced into his voice as he glanced back at you. “She hasn’t given herself a break, yet everything’s remained steady.”

“That’s the reason she has stayed in the room until now,” She replied. “She was focusing on control, as she is now. She must keep everything constant and under her rein or else it wouldn’t work properly. Right now, she’s infusing her blade with her cursed energy. The next step is to train. She must regain the ability to work with her kusarigama.”

“What are you saying? That her weapon has a mind of its own?” Geto asked, chuckling skeptically.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” She said. “It shouldn’t be that surprising given the circumstances and things you see every day.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

At the lessened feeling of your cursed energy, Geto and Vila looked over. Your cursed energy died out, and your shoulders slumped down as you groaned loudly. You fell back into the grass, splaying your body out with another loud groan.

“I hate doing that!” You exclaimed. You heard a chuckle and craned your neck back, watching Geto and Vila walk towards you.

“Are you hungry, Miss L/n?”

“Starving!”

“You’re always hungry,” Geto commented, offering his hand to you.

“I burn a lot of calories!” You chirped, bouncing to your feet with his help. “Speaking of which, I should get started on my training right away!”

“Woah, hey!” Geto caught you by your waist, bringing you back before you could run off somewhere. “You should take a break first. You just sat there for a straight twelve hours. You extended your cursed energy.”

“This training doesn’t require any cursed techniques, so that shouldn’t be a problem!” You said, looking at him over your shoulder. “This is all physical. You’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like!”

“How about after you eat something?” He asked, quirking a brow. You shrugged.

“Okay,” You hummed, swaying in his arms. Geto chuckled and swayed with you, pressing his lips to your cheek with a grin.

“You’re just a whole batch of sunshine, aren’t you?” He asked, his eyes softening as you giggled.

“I wanted to thank you, Suguru,” You said softly, fingers lacing in the hands he hand on your stomach. “I wouldn’t have gotten any further without coming back here. It’s been a long time, but, I’m glad I did.”

“Don’t worry about,” He mumbled. “I want to do everything to make you safe. I’ll help you in any way I can. And I’m not just saying that because you are my girlfriend. I’m saying it because I care for you. You were my best friend before you were my lover. So I don’t care. I’ll help you get stronger if that’s what you want.”

You smiled brightly, turning to peck his cheek. “Thanks, Sugar. Now, come on! I’m starving!”

Geto chuckled, playfully squeezing your side which made you squeal with surprise. He jumped away from you, a grin on his face as you swatted at him. You chased after him, your laughter mixing in with his. You purposely tripped him, making him grab your shirt and bring him down with you. Your mixed breaths came out in the air as puffs, cheeks and noses flushed with the chilly weather. His hands cupped your face, his nose brushing against yours as you giggled.

“You’re an idiot, Geto Suguru,” You said, eyes sparkling as you looked down at him. He grinned.

“So are you, L/n Y/n.”