CELESTIAL FLOWERS ( s. gojo )

arc v ━ chapter ii. buoyancy

a r c v.
❝ all the things you have,
all the things you cannot have. ❞

━━ chapter ii. buoyancy

KAZUKO SIGHS. She did terribly on her finals for the first semester and she feels like things are going to be worse. Her scores for the written portion were decent- she scored at the top of their year (which wasn't saying much since there were only 4 of them and one was... inactive, for a lack of a better word), but the practical examinations were the bane of her existence. Barely scraping by the passing mark with two points.

Now she's listening to Kiyoshi singing and Hayami cheering along. The three of them had decided to go to karaoke today as all their previous plans ended in failure due to conflicting schedules. Kazuko does her best to clap to the rhythm of the song and applauds when Kiyoshi reaches a high note. He was an adept singer, he had that suave voice that would remind you of drinking coffee in a fancy cafe with jazz music playing in the background.

"That's a pretty high score," Kazuko comments.

"Kiyoshi, you're awesome," Hayami cheers and turns to Kazuko. "Now it's Kazuko-san's turn!"

"Can I pass?" Kazuko asks. "I'm not much of a singer."

"It's okay," Hayami insists and Kiyoshi hands her the microphone. "No matter how badly you do, I'm sure I'll do even worse!"

"Is that supposed to cheer her on?" Kiyoshi asks with a chuckle and Hayami smiles at him.

"Isn't your Cursed Technique involving music?" Kazuko asks and stares at the microphone as if it's a foreign object. She's never been to karaoke before and she'd been suffering from her low scores on her practical examination that she forgot to do quick research as to what going to karaoke entailed.

"Musical instruments," Hayami corrects, puffing her chest in pride. "My singing voice would make a baby cry. In fact it did one time when I was babysitting my younger cousin. I started humming and he just started howling."

"Why do you sound so proud?" Kazuko asks after Kiyoshi hands her the remote so she can choose what song to sing.

"My voice is that bad," Hayami says with a grin. "It's a one in a lifetime kind of talent!"

"I see..." Kazuko shrugs it off and begins pressing the keys. Hayami and Kiyoshi guide her along the way.

The song starts and it's cheesy pop music that she's been hearing frequently every time she went grocery shopping.

"I didn't expect Kazuko to be into this kind of music," Kiyoshi comments, and Kazuko's about to tell him that she's really not into this type of music but the song starts and they cheer at her, saying sing sing like they're the Phantom of the Opera and she's Christine Daae.

Kazuko sings.

It's a combination of changing the tone she uses her words and more of a reading than actual singing, but Kiyoshi and Hayami clap like they're having the time of their lives so Kazuko erases the worries and just belts out tunes. Midway through the song, she begins dishing out some moves and they laugh and she laughs too. Her chest feels warm and giddy like someone just poured sugar syrup down her throat and she's tasting stars.

"Not bad, Kazuko!" Kiyoshi tells her and she scrunches her forehead, but relaxes it shortly after, opting for a smile.

"Thanks." And hands the microphone to Hayami who had selected three songs during Kazuko's turn.

Kiyoshi quickly pulls her aside. She's just about to reach for one of the potato chips when he does so. "Kazuko, if you value your eardrums, take cover."

"Huh?"

Too late. Hayami starts out the ballad with what sounded like a cross between a metal chair screeching across the floor and vultures squawking in the sky. Then she follows with an even louder one and Kazuko presses her hands to her ears, but it's no use as Hayami begins screaming the words.

In the end, they end up with fatigue and Hayami giggles as if she didn't just ruin both hers and Kiyoshi's eardrums.

"Pretty bad, right?" she asks, eyes twinkling in glee. You'd think she just did a concert and delighted her fans across the nation. Kazuko has more words than pretty bad, but she refrains from speaking as her body is weighed down by whatever curse Hayami put into her god awful singing. She settles for a nod.

"I think we should order more food," Kiyoshi says and uses the phone attached to the walls of the karaoke box. "Kazuko ate all the potato chips."

"Sorry."

"No sweat."

They finish karaoke by dusk. Kiyoshi says he has matters to attend to with the Kamo clan and Hayami says that she'll be staying over at a relative's house. They offer to walk her back to the dorms, but Kazuko tells them that she's okay by herself and that she's going back to school to practice with her weapon.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Hayami tells her and she nods and bades farewell. Kiyoshi went on ahead and when Hayami disappears into the distance, she begins walking back to school.

When she sees a vending machine, she stops for a can of soda. She's been wanting to try the new flavor her favorite brand just released. Although calling it her favorite brand is a stretch as Kazuko has only discovered the brand when she arrived in Tokyo. She saw Gojo drinking one of the sodas and he had claimed that it was one of the best brands of soda ever. Kazuko, being Kazuko, replied in an offhanded manner, but her curiosity had been roused so she ended up buying one.

Despite being a tacky person, Kazuko would begrudgingly admit that he had great taste in beverages.

"Koyama?"

She turns to meet Utahime.

"So it really is you," the woman tells her with a smile. "On your way to school?"

"Yes," she replies and maintains her polite tone. "What are you doing here, Utahime-san?"

"I was on my way to Jujutsu High when I saw you," she explains and gestures to a black car where a middle-aged man sat in the driver's seat. He wore one of those black suits that the drivers for their missions preferred using. Or was it mandated to them? Jujutsu High had a penchant for black after all. "Would you like a ride?"

"If it isn't a bother..."

"Don't be shy," Utahime tells her with a smile. Kazuko likes her fashion sense. The shrine maiden outfit is beautiful and holds a sense of propriety she wants to emulate. "I'm just doing my kouhai a favor."

They get into the car and Kazuko offers her thanks. She enjoyed the flashing scenery before the window and the cool air conditioner. Her limbs were saved from all that grueling walking.

"Headed to the dorms?" Utahime asks her.

Kazuko shakes her head and plasters a wry smile on her lips. "I was planning to go train. I'm not doing very well in my physical examinations."

Utahime hums. "If you want, I can help you train."

Kazuko feels like her heart just skipped a beat. "Really?" The excitement seeps into her words. She knew of Utahime's capabilities and the woman just seemed like she'd be a great teacher. She'll help Kazuko get stronger. Stronger. So no one can hurt her or Erisu again. That word that wards the shadows creeping on the walls away, a patch of sunlight amid the overwhelming darkness. Stronger.

"Only if you want to, of course."

Kazuko would have clasped the other's hand in glee, but she did not move. She can't. She still can't. Even when the gloves are there and light is flowing everywhere, the tremble in her hands remains. The feeling of cold metal lingers. But this is a step, one tiny step that will set her off in the direction of healing.

"Utahime-san." Resolve is brimming in her eyes. The color would remind anyone of storm clouds. "Please make me stronger."

━━ to be continued.