{THE ENCOUNTER} Itadori x Fem!Reader

𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑛

When your consciousness returns, you find yourself sitting on the ground. The sound of crackling fire pierces the quiet, and as you attempt to move, you realize you're bound to rope, secured tightly to a tree.

Panic grows within you as you take in your surroundings and notice a small, unfamiliar tent standing nearby. Fear tightens your chest as you struggle against your restraints.

As you continue to look around, your eyes lock onto the figure sitting by the fire. Your captor is a tall, scruffy-looking man with blonde hair. Recognition strikes like a lightning bolt, and your eyes widen in terror as you recall where you've seen him before.

FLASHBACK ~ ONE DAY AGO

After grabbing some supplies for your camping trip at the store that is supposed to be not too far away from your campsite, you follow Fushiguro over to the checkout counter where a clerk around your age stands.

Nobara begins to flirt with him. "Hey there," she grins.

You don't really pay too much attention to their conversation until you hear her say, "Yep! Campsite 17! You been there? Man, it's going to be sooo boring out there but you could make it a lot more interesting..."

You groan to yourself and just pray the cashier isn't a serial killer. While she continues to flirt with him, you place your items on the counter. Then, you make sure you've got enough money to pay the underpaid employee.

As you wait, you glance behind you. Your eyes fall upon a scruffy-looking blonde man who stands in line behind you, holding a strange assortment of items. In his arms, he's holding a length of rope, a few cans of beans, and a pair of wire cutters. The sight sends a shiver down your spine and you instinctively step a bit closer to Itadori.

BACK TO PRESENT TIME

"What the hell do you want with me?" you demand, your voice laced with desperation.

He remains silent for a moment, his gaze unwavering. Then, finally, he speaks. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to."

Fear courses through your veins, but despite the dread that grips you, you can't help but voice another question. Your voice trembles as you ask what's haunted your thoughts since you recognized him from the store.

"Did you... Did you kill that poor girl?"

"Jesus," he shakes his head. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm a researcher, okay?"

"Y-you are?" you ask, a wave of relief washing over you. Was all of this some kind of misunderstanding? "What are you researching?"

"My field of study is the limits of the human mind," he begins. Instantly, your heart rate quickens. "Unfortunately, my last experiment didn't go so well and my subject got too... overwhelmed."

Terror takes complete control over you as a scream tears through your throat, but before it can fully escape, his hand clamps over your mouth. His eyes bear into yours, and he shakes his head. "Don't do that," he hisses. "You'll get your poor friends into the same situation as you. I have friends everywhere."

Your heart feels like it's pounding through your chest, and you can't help but wonder if he can hear it. But then he pulls his hand away, leaving tears to stream down your cheeks as you try to suppress your sobs.

The man's tone then shifts almost casually as if he's been discussing something simple this whole time. "Are you hungry?" he asks. You shake your head, the thought of food feels like a small concern in contrast to your current predicament.

"Fine, then it's time for your first test," he continues. Your eyes widen in horror, but before you can react, he blindfolds you with what feels like some kind of paper, plunging you into complete darkness. The world falls silent, minus the pounding of your heart, and the amount of time that's passed becomes impossible to identify.

But, as you continue to cry, your blindfold becomes so soggy from your tears that it rips and falls away. Gasping for breath, you check your surroundings. Your eyes lock onto a knife lying within reach by your feet. As adrenaline surges within you, you squirm and maneuver your hands and bare feet until you can grasp the knife. Then, with shaking hands, you cut yourself free.

Freedom is within your grasp as you bold from the spot. However, the world around you hardly seems to care. Rain begins to pour again from the dark sky, drenching you. And with no shoes to shield your feet from the wet earth, it's hard to make a fast escape.

You call out to your three friends with desperation in your voice and, after what seems like hours, you eventually hear their distant voices calling your name. Ignoring the rain and the mud, you sprint toward their voices, running so fast that you don't watch where you're going.

And that's when your escape comes stretching to a halt. Your body goes down fast the second your foot gets caught in a bear trap, the steel clamping down onto your leg with excruciating force. Pain rips through you, and you scream at the top of your lungs, tears mixing with the rain.

Panic sets in as you reach around to try to pry your leg free. And that's when you see him, kneeling in front of you, your kidnapper. His expression remains emotionless as he nods, his voice devoid of feeling. "Well done," he hums, the words sending a chill down your spine.

The man then moves to release you from the trap, allowing it to release its grip. However, you hardly pay it much mind as you look around in confusion. You could've sworn you were so close to your camp.

But then your eyes fall upon something unsettling. A speaker dangles from one of the nearby trees and it dawns on you that the voices you heard calling your name earlier weren't actually your friends at all. Your kidnapper had lured you into this horrifying trap, manipulating your desperation to lead you deeper into his nightmare.

He's planned this whole thing out. Even got a recording of all your friends saying your name. Dread settles in your heart as you realize the extent of the danger you're truly in.