I'll need a vacuum.

49

TW: mention of sexual assault (forced kiss).

Chapter Text
We arrived fairly quickly in the neighborhood where Nanami was supposed to be. Gojo explained to me that he was looking for the man who had shot me since the d&y of my death. So Shoko's theory was true. I didn't know what had brought him to this neighborhood or what he expected to find there, since I myself would never have known where to start my search. What was he doing here exactly ? We walked through the crowded streets, scanning faces. I winced at each light spot, hoping to find a blonde head and weird glasses on a jaded face in the crowd, but nothing. I was getting stared at myself because I stood out, with my hair close-cropped and my white coat, people would turn away from me in pity, assuming that I had cancer. I grabbed Gojo to tell him that it was useless and that it was better to call him back, in order to identify his position. He didn't take the time to listen to me because he had seen something, and entered the crowd with a sure step. I limped after him, not yet recovered from my previous fall. Unfortunately, he left me behind, and I struggled to get out of the more compact crowd that surrounded a bar. Noise was coming from it, and I followed Gojo inside. There was smoke and dim light creating a calm atmosphere that contrasted with the ambient hubbub: several people were fighting bare hands. I was surprised to find Nanami in the middle of the fight, beating up two other people who had scars and tattoos ! Were they yakuza ? Gojo suddenly intervened in the fight, and pulled Nanami out of reach of the others. To tell the truth, he seemed to protect the two men from Nanami more than the reverse. But what was the matter ?? I was dumbfounded. Gojo walked out with Nanami, dragging him out of the bar, while the two yakuza wiped their bloody noses. They pretended to get up to continue the fight but Gojo gave them a chilling look, with a gleam of menace sufficient to scowl them. He had taken off his blindfold before entering, and put it back on once outside. It took me a while to get out of the crowd and follow them, and once out of the restaurant, I realized that I had lost sight of them. I then wandered in the street, eyes wide open and ears on the lookout for the slightest clue. My heart was pounding, I wanted to find Nanami to understand what was getting into him. And to see him again, of course. I suddenly heard their muffled voices in an adjacent alley, and immediately joined them. However, I stopped just before entering the light, listening in silence to what was being said between them. I was suddenly afraid to face him, remembering my statement on the phone and the violence of my death. While I hesitated, Gojo questioned him :

" What are you doing here ? Since when do you fight with criminals "?

Nanami groaned, spit some blood on the floor before pulling a handkerchief out of his suit pocket to wipe his bruised lips.

"I'm looking for someone."

" Oh! Nanami, I don't recognize you anymore.. I came to surprise you but in the end it's you who surprises me ! Come back to school, I don't know what's got into you but it's not the time to create us problems with the local mafia."

Nanami grumbled again. He looked like he was in a terrible mood and my heart sank even more. I had to come out of the shadows but my legs weighed three tons.

" No, I haven't finished. You don't need me anyway, contact me when you 'll have something really important to tell me, not before. I'm off."

Before Gojo could say anything to him, he turned into the alley where I was hiding, and we found ourselves face to face. Shoko and Yaga had looked very shocked, Gojo amused when they had discovered the living me earlier in the day but nothing had prepared me for Nanami's face when he saw me. His eyes widened, blinked several times, then he backed up hastily, until he bumped into Gojo who had followed him.

" What.... HOW .. WHO ??!?"

Gojo smiled suddenly, broadly. He took pleasure in seeing his friend completely taken aback. It was true that it was quite entertaining, apart from the dramatic situation in which we had found him. I would have laughed if I hadn't been so stressed.