inbox — hello yes this is cat speaking

[nagano]

"—Nagano here. Actually, I'm not here. Leave a message."

TEXT • AUDIO • VIDEO • ACTION

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sept 28, morning

[mistsplitter]

[ Kaito will receive a nice and intricate midnight blue box with gold ribbons delivered to him in the morning. Inside are snacks, but prior to opening the box, he will find a card.

In neat and beautiful handwriting, the card reads:

Dearest Kaito,

The stars are beautiful this time of year, and looking out into the sky at night has always been a pleasant experience. Should you look up at the stars tonight, I hope you will remember me.

It is my day of birth, and I have prepared something for you. I hope it is to your liking, and I hope I am able to impress you with the little skills I possess in the kitchen.

Have a good day today, and I pray you keep safe at all times.

Ever yours,
Kamisato Ayaka ]

audio ↪ un: 012601 [nightfell]

[craters]

Hi Chef!

（ yes, she has not forgotten that title. ）

I just wanted to thank you again for the food you put together for me. My friends really enjoyed it, it was a nice little piece of home for them.

How are you doing?

[nagano]

[ A reply comes shortly after her initial message. ]

Hello, Doctor Zero-One-Two-Six-Zero-One.

[ Nor has he forgotten his cheeky was of addressing her. ]

I'm happy to hear that you were able to share it with them. I got to chat with Naruto. He seems like a real excitable type when it comes to ramen, so whenever either of you are itching for a piece of home, ring me up.

As for me? I'm... decent. Making good use of your supplies. A real un-life saver, they are.

[craters]

Excitable is one way of putting it... I'm glad you got to meet him, though! He's one of my best friends.

（ don't give her the opportunity to gush about him, just don't do it. because she will. ）

Sounds like you've gotten into some trouble since we talked last. Is everything all right? Still attached? No infections?

[nagano]

It was only over text, but with the way he types I imagine he's even more... vibrant in person.

[ Do it. Don't be a coward. Gushing about your friends is metal as heck. ]

I'm fine. Striking a balance between minding my own business and ruining the Reapers' abduction plans is difficult. Really, I've had more trouble with the roaming Badaliscus while picking berries.

...Badalisci?

In any case, the combat is a good distraction. How are things in the city? Keeping busy with your patients? I've been hoarding scaleberries and I've discovered that Badaliscus skin works surprisingly well as dressings after being sterilized, so you might receive a surplus when I return the supplies you lent me.

[craters]

He's pretty vibrant, all right. Hard to miss him, or mistake him for anyone else.

（ how can one girl pack so much fondness into a couple of sentences? maybe it's her superpower. ）

City's fine for the time being. The way to Hale is back open, so I've been able to visit and speak with some of the medical experts there. It's a pretty remarkable place!

Badaliscus skin, huh...? Do I want to know how you figured that out?

[nagano]

...I'm glad you have each other. Unfortunate circumstances aside.

[ So much conveyed in so few words. There's a pang in his chest as he thinks about his brother. ]

That's good to hear. I'll have to make my way down there myself. An offering of scaleberries might allow me to jumpstart some connections.

I don't imagine someone in the medical field would be very squeamish, but the story is unpleasant nonetheless. It's up to you whether you want to hear me ramble, but consider that I can also talk about how ridiculous some of the festival's concoctions were to experience instead.

[craters]

（ unfortunate circumstances indeed.

she's still not entirely convinced of their collective untimely demise, but she knows that naruto has been beating himself up trying to get them home, and she hates how hard he is on himself about it.

she shakes her head, and continues on — ）

I'm not squeamish. You can go ahead with the story.

jailbreak aftermath

[windsongs]

[ Everything hurts. It's true that she didn't fight capture (much, and not physically), when she arrived at the Gallows, when they ripped everything from her, oh. She fought. Has physical proof of that beneath the tatters she wears. That's all they left her; even the ring she wore at all times is gone. And while it hasn't served its purpose since she got her (hasn't been necessary, which feels weird and unsettling), Hibiki feels incomplete without it. The last gift her mother left her, gone.

The physical pain is bad, but the emotional is much, much worse. Both of which she makes sure to block from the connection she shares from Kaito, a wall erected around it.

Galloping at a full gait for what feels like forever, Hibiki holds the reins of the aqua equine tightly. Her ab muscles tightened in an attempt to not twinge in pain as her passenger holds on, they've long since put the Gallows behind them. But it's not enough. She needs to put more distance between them and that horrible place. She needs to blow its stench from her, break the shackles she can still feel on her wrists and ankles and be free.

But intellectually she knows that that will never happen. No matter how far or how fast they go, she will never fully break free. That place has its hooks in her. Once the Gallows is only a memory, Hibiki tugs on the reins, slowing the stead down to a trot. Forcing herself to keep her eyes forward, they ride in heavy silence for a few more moments. ]

...We should probably decide where to go. I can't go back to Stygia, and I don't know if there's a way to get to the Shadowlands from here.

[ It's not just a can't, but a won't. Not now. Possibly not ever. ]

[nagano]

[ He's so tired.

How much blood did he watch stain the prison floor in the last few hours? How much had he himself shed? No lives were taken, sure—but Kaito certainly didn't bother stopping anyone past Hibiki and Company from ending any lives. Marius, Claude...

His Shadow's been having a hell of a time watching Kaito toe the line. But he's tired. He's barely hanging on to Hibiki as they ride off past Stygia (the kelpie (he thinks it's a kelpie) is really cool, but now isn't the time), and it won't be long until they hit the shoreline.

Hibiki's doing her best to seal her discomfort and pain away, but they're outside the Gallows now. He doesn't need the bond to feel her anguish.

Kaito doesn't wrap his arms tighter, but he does scoot closer and rest his chin on her shoulder. He's warm. Even through the blood caked on his cheek, he's so warm. ]

Do you want me to teleport us to my place?

[ A beat. He can see the waves now, and it adds an extra layer of queasiness that he really doesn't need right now. ]

...Actually, don't answer that. I'm going to open a portal.

[windsongs]

[ Hiding as much as she does is a futile effort, she knows, but it gives her something else to focus on as they ride. The pain, the bloodshed; seeing others fight for those who had been captured, to set them all free... They don't tell you how brutal being a hero can be in stories. Hibiki isn't squeamish, but she knows dwelling on anything that happens would make her sick to her stomach.

She has to hold it in. She has to hold everything in.

Feeling him place his chin on her shoulder, his cheek warm near her neck, Hibiki adjusts slightly to rest her head carefully against his. Is it to comfort him or herself? Who knows (and who cares) at this point?

Slowing the horse down to a stop, the small blonde carefully discounts before offering Kaito a helping hand. If she were in a better place mentally, she might insist that he doesn't have to worry about it. She could offer her place (again).

Hibiki doesn't protest when he offers his own, don't act surprised at all. She's also tired and in pain, and arguing would only deplete the stores so close to running on empty. ]

Can you do that right now?

[ They're both basically spent, she doesn't want him collapsing from exhaustion. ]

[nagano]

[ Kaito would rather fall flat on the ground than actually take the effort to lower himself off the kelpie, but he grabs Hibiki's hand regardless. Smooth and steady is his descent, but the way he leans back against the summon makes it clear that he's running on fumes.

Still... ]

I don't know, but I will.

[ Yanking his gloves off and tossing them aside, Kaito reaches for the blonde's hands and grabs without leaving any room for protest. The harsh feedback that follows serves to steady him, rattling him out of his fading state.

Golds lock to blues, and they begin to sink.

When the portal drops them off, they land in a grassy meadow. A gentle breeze rolls along while the sun beams down from a cloudless sky. There is an ample amount of shade, however—thanks to a gargantuan cedar tree that appears to be the anchoring point for the teleport.

In the near distance, a ramshackle building stands, with fragments of brick and stone jutting out from either side to suggest that it was ripped out of an alleyway and simply dumped into the greenfields.

When Kaito feels solid ground beneath his feet, he instinctively dips backwards, still holding onto his soulmate—and thus pulling her down on top of him. The landing's a bit rough for him, but she'll have an empath-shaped cushion to soften her fall.

Kaito closes his eyes and sighs. ]

Can't say it's nearly as aesthetically appealing as your ryokan, but this is my 'home.'

[windsongs]

[ She knew that he was in bad shape, but she doesn't quite grasp the full extent until she sees him lean into her summon. Hibiki knows better than to protest right now, and as she reaches out to steady him, Kaito snatches her hands up as they begin to slowly sink into the earth.

As they resurface, Hibiki squints a bit, her eyes needing a moment to adjust to the light. But she forces herself to keep her eyes open, to take in the sight of this domain in full. A simple meadow, existing under a cloudless blue sky. A building in the distance. And speckled shade overhead that feels incredibly familiar despite never having been here before.

A giant tree.

Her senses dulled with everything else, Hibiki feels the tug a little too late. She could try to disengage, to keep from falling, but... she just lets it happen. Landing on top of him, she can't hide the sudden mental keysmash that happens behind the scenes. Her head resting against his chest, her own frozen mid-breath, when she feels him sigh, Hibiki exhales as well.

He's warm. Maybe it's the bond that they share, or the fact that she can't remember the last time she's been this close to anyone, but instead of flustering and trying to take command of the situation, she readjusts. Laying her head against his chest, feeling a lifetime of tension begin to slowly unwind, Hibiki looks out toward the horizon. ]

It's beautiful.

[nagano]

[ There's hesitation in how he doesn't immediately wrap her in an embrace, but when she relaxes against him Kaito hooks his arms around her waist and pulls the blonde into a ginger, gentle hug.

He should be tending to their wounds, but right now he's so tired that all he wants is a moment's reprieve. Just a few precious seconds to slow things down—something he hasn't been able to afford since 'dying.' ]

If you'd believe it, when I was alive my clan had a little pocket dimension. The inside was shaped by the current clan leader, so when I took over, well.

Admittedly, it had already looked like this for a few years, but this is the design I went with. Even if it's just a simulacrum, this is where I can enjoy just a hint of tranquil peace.

[ She's just as warm, and so he buries his face into the crook of her neck while talking. This kind of intimate embrace would be saved for partners, wouldn't it? That's not what they are yet lmfao, but their bond is something much more special than close friends or companions.

It's hard to put into words, save for one: soulmates.

Kaito slowly closes his eyes. Presses his ear against her, to listen for her heartbeat. ]

This cedar tree is supposed to be special to the Nagano clan. Something about symbolizing the central kami whose blessings were granted to our ancestors.

...I don't know why it's this obnoxiously huge.

[windsongs]

[ She doesn't move when he wraps his arms around her waist, but instead lets out a long, heavy sigh through her nose. Tired both physically and emotionally, being held like this temporarily eases the turbulence churning in her head. Shifting to hook her arm under his, she just barely holds on to him, bloodstained fingertips tracing tiny masterpieces near his shoulder blades.

It's the first time since move back to Tokyo that she's had a moment to breathe. Resting against him, feeling Kaito's chest rise and fall against her as his words are practically murmured into her skin, she can't remember a time when she's felt more at peace.

Her free hand finds the back of his head and rests there, as she resists the urge to caress it. Just barely. ]

So that place is just for you, then. Wish I could see it. [ His own slice of paradise. Hibiki smiles gently.

One day, they would go back home, hopefully to those places where they truly felt like themselves; but the fact that those homes were on completely different Earths doesn't occur to her right now. All that's on her mind is how warm he feels and the way he rests his head in the crook of her neck. Tipping her chin upward, Hibiki rests her head against him.

If it were anybody else...

(She wouldn't want it to be.)

Giggling silently, she opens her eyes. ]

I think it's a prerequisite for sacred trees.

[ Jokes the woman with a giant cherry blossom tree behind her own door, but she's at least self-aware enough to draw the similarities. ]

We have something like that, at the family shrine. I don't know the full story, but I believe it was planted as a gift when part of the Fujiwara clan left Tohoku for Chubu. A wisteria tree was planted on the shrine grounds, in honor of their joining with another clan. It's been there for generations, and blooms every summer.

I'm not sure if there's a kami connected to that tree, I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell while I was alive, but I wouldn't be surprised. It has to be a couple hundred years old, at least. But it's the symbol of my family.

delivery (nightfell)

[prozaic]

[there's a delivery of a small mason jar, just about 290mL, with a simple note-- even if the writing is anything but simple. in fact, it's downright elegant, a cursive only seen in people who went to expensive, fancy schools or had special tutoring. no signature, except the "S" in spiced tea is stylized specifically to be a snake, larger than the rest of the writing, and eye-catching.]

Spiced tea, but with a little kick! (Don't drink too much in one go, please.)

As a small token of friendship, may it keep you warm even for just a moment in this snowy weather.

[inside the jar itself is a light brown liquid, still with a bit of the ingredients used to make it-- a thin slice of lemon, zest from an orange, so on and so forth. as for the kick? it's rum.]

@mikey

[invinciblemikey]

who are you

why am i asking if u single in my texts

[nagano]

[ What the fuck is this?

Kaito drops his logging axe to better squint at his phone. ]

Is this a prank, or did you just pick up Mikey's phone to fuck with me?

[invinciblemikey]

no im for serious

are you at least cute

who are you?????

[nagano]

I don't know, you're the one who asked if I was single a few weeks ago.

Hibiki thinks I'm cute.

I'm Kaito. Takemichi and I helped bust you and Hibiki out of the Gallows a few weeks ago. Have you seriously forgotten all of that?

[invinciblemikey]

... why was i arrested

no. apparently i was an old and bitter ancient man and now im back to being 15 my memories arent great

still no idea who you are tho

1/2

[nagano]

[ 'What the fuck?' ]

2/2

[nagano]

[ SIGH. ]

You either hurt or murdered someone. Possibly both.

Are you seriously telling me that you... age regressed? Became younger? What other kinds of fucking magic does this place have hiding...

Do you at least remember Hibiki? Or have you met her since you... got younger? You two are friends. I'm her boyfriend.

[invinciblemikey]

(if he expected a WHAT ME NEVER from a teen... well.)

... ok

(word kaito)

fuck it if i know.

of course i met hibi-- ah.

you better be taking good care of her. or ill kick your ass back into life

(LIKE HE WASN'T THE ONE WHO GOT THEM TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE.)

Backdated to Christmas - I was sick most of December

[afoolshope]

[Special delivery!

A pair of noise cancelling headphones are delivered to Kaito on Christmas, with a card inside saying:]

Merry Christmas. These should help when you're around people. They are enchanted. Take care.