The Waning (GojoHime) - Part 2

For Whom the Bells Toll

She felt pathetic, having marred Nanami's pristine shirt with her mix of snot and tears. The leakage seemed to finally subside though. Still without uttering a word, Nanami extended a white handkerchief towards her, his gaze stoically fixed on the night ahead.

"Thank you." Utahime used the fragrant fabric to dry her eyes, then turned her head to the side to discreetly blow her nose.

The low car with its comfortable seats had folded like a protective cocoon around them, but she felt far from safe. Her eyes kept searching out the nondescript exit through which she had been ushered by the quiet orderly. A feeble, flickering light cast a dim glow over the nondescript metal door. All was silent. But for how much longer? A vivid image of the Hei storming out, swords drawn and thirsting for blood, flashed before her mind's eye. The faster she got away from here the better.

Nanami started the engine and inquired, "Should I take you home?"

You'd drive me all the way to Kyoto? She glanced at him and nodded, uncertain what to make of such a grand gesture.

"Did anyone harm you?" He asked as he maneuvered the car out of the dark side street into the dense evening traffic. The tension in his jaw hinted at suppressed anger.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked back instead of answering the question.

The answer was yes, they had harmed her. They had shattered her trust in the Jujutsu Society. Trust? I don't even know why I had that to begin with. All these hours of her life that she had given to them. And this was how they treated her?

"A friend of mine works at HQ."

A friend...? It had to be the Orderly, the one who had managed to remove her from Naoya's presence before anything worse had happened.

"No physical harm was done," she answered his initial question. "Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. And please convey my thanks to your friend too."

"I owed you," Nanami just said. He had to be referring to the other night, as if taking someone out to dinner to flush out a certain someone was that much of a crime.

"Not really," she murmured. Wasn't she to blame that he had been drawn into this whole mess in the first place?

"Should I call anyone?" Nanami asked cautiously.

"No," Utahime shook her head. She felt a sense of gratitude that her parents were currently out of the country. Equally relieving was Gojo's conspicuous absence from the situation. She needed time to think through her limited options before she faced him.

While her tension headache threatened to turn into a migraine, Nanami skillfully maneuvered his car through the tunnel past Chidorigafuchi Park. The hum of the engine was like the subdued purr of a domesticated animal. Deftly anticipating the flow of traffic, he merged into the stream of vehicles, the occasional flash of traffic and street lights reflected in his glasses. As they approached the ramp to the Shutoko Expressway, the car effortlessly accelerated and the engine's hum transformed into a confident roar. The car shot forward through the maze of tunnels and overpasses that led them past Shibuya's dazzling lights and out of the city. Once on the Meishin Expressway, the car gained even more speed until the surroundings blurred into streaks of black and white. The occasional light painted fleeting glimpses of their faces as they passed urban and rural landscapes, occasional road signs and dimly lit exits. The steady purr of the engine and the rhythmic drumming of the tires on the pavement lulled Utahime into a state that resembled a feverish dream, the speed of the car making the travel feel like she was flying through space.

Utahime was unsure how much time had passed when Nanami guided the car into the lights of a highway rest area. The vehicle came to a smooth halt in a designated parking spot, and Nanami, with his usual air of composed efficiency, turned off the engine. The muted hum of the highway traffic seemed far away as he stepped out and courteously held the door for her.