featherbrain ☆ l.jn ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

jeno [seven]

Your night was beginning to come to a close, just a couple minutes from your apartment. With that, you suddenly realized, "Oh, Jungwoo! Where are you and Sungchan going to—"

A loud yell cut you off, and you whipped around to look for the source of it. The Ayakashi with you were also on alert. It came again, followed by a cry of pain. The sound of someone running met your ears, followed by someone yelling out all your names.

"Sicheng! Jungwoo! Y/N!"

It was Renjun, jade green eye glimmering as he desperately ran towards you guys. He was clearly disheveled, and for a brief moment you were caught off-guard by the fact that he was wearing clothes he hadn't left the café in—his waiter uniform had become an elegant magenta long sleeve and deep indigo cloak that fluttered out behind him—and he also had a pistol in his hand.

"Wraiths! Jeno, he— and Yuta—"

"Where?" Sicheng demanded, eyes a flaming blue and scales appearing across his cheek and arms. His own clothes changed, now replaced by something resembling a karate gi except deep cerulean in color, black and teal appearing in fine detail along the material.

"This way," Renjun took off again, the Mizuchi dragon right on his heels.

"Come, Lady Onmyoji," Jungwoo secured your hand in his tightly before following behind the other two Ayakashi. Your eyes widened as you took in your other friend's costume change as well; Jungwoo's modern clothes supplied to him by his brother were no more, a rather ancient-looking silken yukata of a brilliant pastel green color with sakura blossoms all around it having took their place.

Turning down streets, the voices and groans were coming closer. And you immediately knew where Renjun was taking you. On the corner of the street was an abandoned fast food restaurant, the windows all boarded up and parking lot deserted. It was barely lit by a streetlight with one burnt out bulb, the remaining three dimmed or flickering. How appropriately spooky. You couldn't even see either one of your friends, too many Wraiths blocking your vision with their dark forms. A swirling mass of them all around a central point, presumably your two missing friends.

"There's even more of them," Renjun declared. "And I don't..."

Sicheng didn't acknowledge the Satori, immediately whipping his arm out, looking as if he were throwing a baseball. A stream of water shot forth from behind the restaurant, slamming into the Wraiths. A hole opened up for a split-second, and Yuta tumbled out from within.

"Yuta!" You called out to him, letting go of Jungwoo's hand to run towards him.

The kitsune met you halfway, stumbling into your arms. But your worry was still on the missing Tengu.

"Where's Jeno?" You asked, squeezing onto Yuta's forearms desperately.

He didn't answer, eyes transfixed on the terrifying conglomeration of Wraiths.

"Yuta!" You yelled out his name, shaking his arms. "Yuta! Where's Jeno?"

But you already knew, your heart dropping from your chest. Turning back to the scene behind you, you saw the other three Ayakashi working to break through the wall of Wraiths. Sicheng was sending powerful attacks of water against them, but this time they weren't caught off-guard like before. Renjun was firing individual shots at the outer edges of the mass.

"Cover your ears!" Jungwoo warned everybody, and you released Yuta's arms to do so, slapping your hands over your ears.

He brought a thin wooden flute up to his lips, and you saw the massive form begin to tremble, individual Wraiths now visible as small cracks and spaces between them opened up. You were able to see just a glimpse of Jeno, on his knees and writhing in terrible pain.

Jungwoo must have seen it too, halting his song and putting his flute back into his pocket, "I cannot play my song without also harming Jeno."

Sicheng brought a column of water up and slammed it down onto the top of the mass instead this time.

"Every time I hit them, they just reform," the Mizuchi dragon shook his head, but sent another concentrated attack.

Renjun cocked his pistol, but didn't fire, "If I keep shooting, I might end up hitting Jeno."

You were useless. Absolutely fucking useless. But you had an idea anyway.

"I have a plan. And don't argue with me, please trust me," you spoke up. "Jungwoo, you play your song just long enough to weaken them for Sicheng to hit them again. Sicheng, I know this means you won't be able to cover your ears but I'm begging you. And once we get another opening, I'll go in."

"You can't do that, idiot!" Renjun yelled out, and despite his harsh words, you knew it was out of concern for you.

"I said don't argue with me!"

Jungwoo, looking rather forlorn, brought his flute back up to his lips, "Very well, Lady Onmyoji."

"I'm ready when you are, Jungwoo," Sicheng agreed, hand opened up to the skies as a huge column of water was at the ready.

Then a pair of arms were around your waist, and you struggled against the owner, "Yuta! Let me go!"

"No."

"Yuta! What the fuck are you doing?" You continued struggling, not wanting to hurt your friend. "I can do this! I'm trying to help Jeno, what the fuck's wrong with you?"

Yuta held steadfast, voice right beside your ear as he calmly said, "I agreed to help you, Y/N. Not my brother's killer."

Your struggling stopped, arms going limp as your head spun at his words. You were shocked out of your stupor by Jeno quite literally flying right by you. And not by the power of his own wings.

The Tengu's flight was abruptly stopped by his body smacking into the side of the building with a sickening thud.

"Let me go!" You roared, finally losing your patience and throwing your fist back. It impacted with something on Yuta's face, and he loosened his grip on you enough for you to escape.

Making a break for Jeno, you were aware of your other three friends following you. In your peripheral, you could see their backs to you, protecting you and Jeno as they faced down the Wraiths.

"Jeno?" You called his name out, rolling him over onto his side. "Jeno, come on."

The sounds of your friends fending off the Wraiths met your ears as you desperately tried to get Jeno to respond to you. Finally, he groaned, eyes fluttering open.

"Oh thank god. Come on, don't fall asleep on us now, Tengu," you warned him.

"Y/N," he grunted.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right here, Jeno."

"No, Y/N," he firmly shook his head, grabbing it in pain. "Wraiths..."

You whipped your head around, blood freezing when you saw that none of your friends were there anymore. They were all scattered through the parking lot, struggling to get onto their own two feet.

Now you were fed up.

"Why can't you leave us alone?" You cried out, staring directly into the glowing orbs of the central Wraith. Your ice-cold blood was now a boiling current as you continued, addressing the Onmyoji controlling them, "Whoever you are, looking in on me and fucking up my friends, just piss off!"

A white-hot fireball of energy roared through your system. It burst forth from you, expanding as it covered the entire parking lot. You couldn't see through it, screwing your eyes shut against the painfully bright light. When light was no longer pouring through your eyelids, you cautiously opened them up in narrow slits. Upon seeing no remnants of the mysterious light or the Wraiths, you let out a shaky sigh.

"Holy shit, Y/N," said an awestruck voice from behind you, and you turned your attention back to Jeno.

"Jen...o? You—you okay?" You asked, gritting your teeth against the searing pain enveloping your being in that moment.

You completely missed his response, darkness overtaking your vision quickly.