LADY AOKI || JUJUTSU KAISEN

三十九

Anzu's heart shattered the minute they got to the station. It was incredibly late at night, so there weren't too many people, but the majority of those she counted were shamans, many of which were from Tokyo. 

"Mentaiko." Inumaki muttered, which was probably his translation of "Shit." He quickly drew up his hood and tucked his white bangs out of sight while Anzu grabbed their bags. 

Inhaling deeply, she forced her worries to settle as the two of them walked as casually as their nerves would allow them, her sticking to his left side in order to try and conceal his missing arm. They kept their eyes down and their gait calm, but neither of them could resist the urge to glance around their surroundings. 

Inumaki recognized the woman who spoke to them on the train speaking to another young woman with long dark hair and a serious expression. She glanced in their direction, studied them carefully, but didn't seem to think much of it as she returned to her conversation. He also searched for Miyazaki, but the man was nowhere to be seen. He did mention that he was being pursued as well, so maybe he was simply nearby and hiding. Though why he was on the run, Inumaki couldn't understand. 

It was only after making it out of the station and to the inn when he realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time.

"That was so stressful!!" Anzu exclaimed as she collapsed against the wall and slid to the floor. "I hated every moment of that."

"Tuna." Inumaki agreed, wiping a droplet of sweat from his brow.

For a moment of silence, they simply held each other's gaze as their breathing steadied, and a tiny smile crept onto Anzu's face. She burst into a nervous laugh. "Sorry just- your face was really funny when you tripped earlier and tried to pass it off like nothing happened."

Her laughter was heavily contagious, it was the kind that came from the deepest corners of her heart and resonated in her chest like music. When she smiled, you would immediately know that it was out of the most genuine happiness. 

Inumaki wished they just weren't so rare. 

"It's not a good idea to go through at night, it's dark enough even under direct sunlight." Anzu pulled out a tourist map and spread it out on the futon, pressing the tip of her finger down on the area where the great forest lay in a large green patch the size of her palm. The other end of the mattress shifted as Inumaki sat down and peered at the map. 

"Tuna mayo." He tapped his watch.

"Definitely. We also have to make sure we can keep track of time while inside." She nodded. "One big question I have yet to answer is whether the domain is still intact. She can keep a barrier suspended even when she isn't inside of it, but now that..." her voice faltered a little then, and her eyes took on a shade of grief. "Now that she's been absorbed, I don't know if it's still there, and that's dangerous."

"Salmon roe." Inumaki patted the map reassuringly, firm in his belief that the domain was still there. If it was, it would be both their greatest ally and enemy when they were inside.

"The estate is...somewhere here." Anzu moved her finger the bottom right corner of Aokigahara, close to the point marked Mototsu Wind Cave. "But you can't just waltz in."

Inumaki jokingly rolled his eyes. Of course they couldn't just waltz in.

"The area should be untouched. It's only been unguarded for about...ten years?" She squeezed her eyes shut and cursed internally. "It'll have to be something we deal with when we get there, I just hope nothing horrible has happened." Her hands shook a little. "Honestly I'm really nervous, I don't know what'll happen or what we'll run into."