wasteland, baby! [fushiguro megumi]

00: bonus chapter

december 2013

"megumiiiiii!"

keiko and gojo decided to bring christmas early to the fushiguro siblings since gojo wouldn't be around during christmas itself due to a mission and keiko had to tag along because there was simply no way he would leave her behind to be by herself. 

they arrived a little later than keiko would've liked, held back by a prior mishap where the young redhead wanted gojo to braid her hair, but the shaman was only capable of one style - the "utahime's half ponytail". reluctantly, keiko settled for that, impatiently running off to their ride the moment gojo was done tying the white ribbon that utahime had gifted her in her hair.

megumi was perched up on the roof of their cozy apartment with only a fairly thin jacket and a book in his hands. while tsumiki was back at home cooking up a simple supper for them, he wanted to soak in the moonless winter night knowing very well that he wouldn't be of much help in the kitchen anyways. he wasn't expecting to see the annoying pair so soon, so his eyebrows were arched slightly at the sound of the redhead's voice.

"isn't it freezing up here?" keiko invited herself to sit beside the raven, poking him to summon his two divine dogs to keep them company.

"no."

"but!-"

"i'm going."

"please gumi?" she cocked her head towards him, doe eyed as he sighed while putting his hands together to summon his shikigami.

a black and a white hound emerged from the shadows, immediately recognising the cheery redhead as they barked and excitedly snuggled under her arms. "kuro! shiro!"

megumi watched his shikigami get comfortable with keiko, leaving him to click his tongue as he rolled his eyes. "you guys don't even react that way with me ..." and his dogs simply barked back at him.

"what were you reading?" keiko hummed, her fingers gently stroking the silky coats of the young pups. her short legs dangled off the roof, as a subtle winter breeze caressed her now cool cheeks, causing her to shiver and bury her hands under the divine dogs' bellies.

"nothing." he shrugged her off, tucking away his new non-fiction book about constellations under his thigh and fixing his gaze back to the intermittent stars that were blinking in the infinite twilight.

keiko decided not to probe further, wanting to absorb as much of the closeness that they had before he could dismiss her as she knew that it would be sooner than later that she wouldn't be around anymore, for a while at least. a question lingered in her mind, and after all her effort of keeping it to herself, the words with a mind of their own slipped out in a whisper.

"would you miss me if i were to disappear?"

though barely audible, megumi was sharp enough to catch it, making him tilt his head ever so slightly so that the corner of his eyes would meet the girl's. he caught her shifting her gaze away from the sky, her slow strokes on his divine dogs now nervous and unsettling, the overwhelming aura that he was used to now somewhat faltering.

"you're leaving?"

she jumped at his question, the divine dogs perking up with her as they too had sensed her heart beating faster than before, before they nudged her gently with their noses and cooed in the attempt to keep her grounded. keiko raised her hands and shook them, playing her nervousness off with a smile as she protested. "what? i said if! and you can't answer my question with a question ... even though i didn't mean for you to hear it."

megumi sighed, dropping his shoulders and let his hands hold his weight as he leaned back. "why would i miss you? you're annoying. and so is gojo-san, so please take him along with you if you're leaving."