Tangled . 混乱した

"Live for me, okay?"

A soft breeze caressed Naomi's face as she found herself standing in a place she had never seen before—a vast field of white. The sky above stretched endlessly, a muted gray, as if the world itself had lost its color. And then, she saw her.

Riri.

Standing a few feet away, bathed in soft light, her usual bright smile gracing her lips. She looked just like she always did—alive, warm, real.

"Riri?" Naomi's voice trembled as she took a hesitant step forward. Riri tilted her head, her eyes kind yet sad. "Hey, Nao."

The sound of her voice made Naomi's chest tighten. It felt too real. But deep down, she knew—this wasn't real. "You—why are you here? We have to go back, come on—" Naomi reached for her, desperate. Riri shook her head, that same sad smile never fading.

"I can't."

Naomi's breath hitched. "No, don't say that—"

"I guess this is it for me, huh?" Riri let out a soft chuckle, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Dying isn't as scary as I thought it'd be." Naomi froze. Her legs refused to move, her throat burned.

"Stop it! Stop talking like that!" Naomi screamed, her vision blurring with unshed tears. "You're not—You're not dead!" Riri stepped closer, lifting a hand as if to wipe Naomi's tears, but stopped just before touching her.

"You were always so stubborn," she murmured, her voice full of love.

Naomi let out a strangled sob. "Then don't leave me," she whispered, broken. A flicker of pain crossed Riri's face, but she smiled anyway.

"You'll be fine, Naomi." Naomi shook her head furiously. "No! I won't be fine! I—"

Riri suddenly reached out, this time her fingers ghosting over Naomi's forehead.

"Live for me, okay?"

And just like that—she began to fade. Naomi's eyes widened in horror.

"No—NO! RIRI, DON'T GO!" She lunged forward, reaching—grasping—but her hands touched nothing. Her best friend was gone. The world shattered around her. Naomi gasped, eyes snapping open as she shot up from her bed, panting. Her body trembled violently, drenched in cold sweat. Her chest heaved, her heart slamming against her ribs.

"Riri..." Her voice came out in a whisper—empty. And for the first time, the room had never felt so quiet.

Naomi sat frozen on her bed, her breath uneven. Her hands clenched the sheets beneath her, as if holding on to reality itself. Her chest still ached, the ghost of Riri's voice lingering in her ears.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She was here. Riri was here, just a second ago— A soft creak of the door broke her thoughts.

"Naomiiii~"

A familiar, teasing voice filled the room. She barely had time to react before a mop of white hair entered her vision.

Gojo. He stood at the doorway, still dressed in his Jujutsu uniform, a lopsided grin plastered on his face. But the moment he took in her shaking form, the forced playfulness faded. "Hey, you okay?" His voice softened as he stepped forward. Naomi wanted to answer, wanted to say something—anything. But before she could, she saw it.

Something moved.

Just over Gojo's shoulder—something dark wriggled along the ceiling. Naomi's eyes widened. Her head snapped to the side, catching more—small, shadowy creatures slithering across the corners of the room. Her stomach twisted.

"What..." She breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. Gojo, noticing the sudden shift in her expression, followed her gaze. He turned around, expecting to see nothing.

Instead, he was met with a cluster of small, harmless curses clinging to the ceiling.

"...Ah." Naomi's breathing quickened. "What... what are those?" She looked at Gojo, panic creeping into her tone. "Satoru, what the hell is that?!"

Gojo didn't answer right away. Instead, he observed. The way her eyes flickered, the way her body reacted, the way she looked right at them.

She sees them. The realization hit him like a freight train. A strange silence filled the room. Gojo blinked, his expression unreadable.

"Well, this is unexpected."

Naomi snapped her gaze back to him, bewildered.

"What do you mean 'unexpected'?!" She gestured wildly. "There's—there's things crawling on the walls!" Gojo didn't respond at first. Instead, he simply smiled.

But this time, it wasn't his usual cocky grin. It was something else. Something more serious. Something far more dangerous. And in that moment, Naomi realized something was very, very wrong.

Naomi's breath came in short, uneven bursts. Her hands trembled as she clutched the blanket. The weight of everything crashed over her at once—the dream, Riri, the strange creatures lurking in her room, Gojo's expression.

"Naomi," Gojo's voice cut through her thoughts, calm yet firm. She snapped her gaze to him, her brother's usual carefree attitude nowhere in sight. Instead, he was serious—far too serious.

"Listen to me," he continued, stepping closer. He crouched in front of her, resting a hand on her head. "You're safe. Right now, you're in Jujutsu High."

Naomi's brows furrowed. "Jujutsu... High?"

"Yeah. My school, remember?" His lips curled into a small smirk. "The place where all the 'weird sorcery nerds' go." Despite the heaviness in her chest, Naomi let out a shaky huff.

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better, dumbass."

Gojo chuckled, ruffling her hair slightly—but the warmth in his touch didn't match the concern in his eyes. "Look, I know you have a million questions, and I promise I'll explain everything." His tone softened. "But not now."

Naomi's stomach twisted. She could tell. He was hiding something. "Satoru..." she started, but Gojo shook his head.

"Not now, Naomi." She hated how final it sounded. A beat of silence stretched between them before Gojo stood up. "Get some rest, alright?" His voice held a rare gentleness. "I'll talk to you after." Naomi hesitated, her fingers curling against the sheets.

"You promise?"

Gojo smiled, but there was something almost sad about it.

"I promise."

And with that, he turned to leave.

Megumi stood outside the infirmary, his back pressed against the cool wall. In his hand, he held a delicate silver necklace—the same one Riri always wore. He had seen it so many times before, dangling around her neck, catching the light when she laughed. Now, it felt unbearably heavy in his palm. His other hand clenched around something even more concerning—a broken talisman. The very thing that was supposed to protect Naomi's school. And he had found it in her bag.

"Oi, Fushiguro!"

Megumi barely lifted his head as Yuji's voice cut through the quiet hallway. Footsteps approached, and before he knew it, Yuji was standing beside him, looking a little out of breath.

"Gojo-sensei sent me to check things out. He said something about a talisman disappearing? What happened?" Megumi didn't answer right away. He rolled the broken talisman between his fingers, his mind a mess of unanswered questions. Yuji glanced at the object, then back at Megumi. "That's one of those protective seals, right? Did the curse destroy it?"

Megumi exhaled sharply.

"No... it was already like this when I found it." Yuji frowned. "Then who—?"

Megumi's grip tightened. He didn't want to say it out loud. Did Naomi take it? Did she break it on purpose? No—that didn't make sense. She had no reason to. She didn't even know about curses, let alone the importance of a talisman like this. And yet... it was in her bag.

Yuji's expression turned serious. "So, if the curse didn't break it... then someone else did."

Megumi didn't respond. He only stared at the broken talisman in his hand, feeling an uneasy weight settle in his chest. Whatever had happened that night, Naomi was already tangled in it.

Yuji noticed the way Megumi's grip tightened around the necklace, the way his jaw clenched just slightly. His usual composed demeanor was slipping, just enough for Yuji to see through it.

"Hey... was the person who died really that important to you?"

Megumi didn't answer right away. His eyes flickered down to the silver necklace in his palm, his thumb brushing over the small pendant attached to it. A familiar warmth lingered on the metal, as if it still carried traces of the person who used to wear it. He exhaled softly, his voice quieter than usual.

"She was Naomi's best friend."

Yuji tilted his head, waiting. Megumi wasn't done.

"And... she was mine too."

A pause.

"She was always there—annoying, loud, and way too nosy for her own good."

Megumi let out a dry, humorless chuckle.

"But she never treated Naomi like an outsider. She never treated me like one either."

His fingers curled around the necklace.

"And now she's gone."

Yuji frowned, his usual bright energy subdued as he processed Megumi's words.

"I'm sorry, Megumi."

Megumi didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes for a moment, his mind replaying memories he wished he could forget—Riri's laughter, her scolding him for being too serious, the way she'd link arms with Naomi and drag him along despite his protests.

And now... nothing.

Gojo stepped out of Naomi's room, his usual carefree expression replaced with something far more serious. His sharp blue eyes landed on Megumi, who was still standing outside, gripping the necklace in his hand.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air was heavy, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on them.

Finally, Gojo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Have things been taken care of with Riri's parents?" Megumi nodded, but his expression darkened. He hated lying. "I told them that she slipped while walking near the forest trail and fell down the slope. By the time we found her, she had already..."

Gojo hummed, crossing his arms. "That's the best we could do, huh?"

Megumi clenched his jaw. A Fall. A pathetic, fabricated excuse for something so much worse. But it was better than the truth—better than telling grieving parents that their daughter was killed by something invisible, something they'd never be able to comprehend.

"They believed it," Megumi muttered, though it wasn't reassurance—it was guilt. Gojo sighed, placing a hand on Megumi's shoulder.

"It's not fair," Gojo admitted, voice softer than usual. "But it's the only way to protect them." Megumi didn't reply, just looked away.

The hallway outside Naomi's room was quiet, filled only with the occasional sounds of footsteps passing by. Megumi stood near the door, fingers curled tightly around the necklace he had been holding onto since the incident. His expression was unreadable, but his grip on the small chain was enough to show his unease.

Yuji, standing beside him, glanced at the door before turning back to Megumi. "So... Naomi, huh?" Yuji finally spoke, arms crossed. "She's your childhood friend? Or—wait—is she your secret long-lost sister or something?"

Megumi gave him a deadpan look. "No."

"Cousin?"

"No."

"...Ex-girlfriend?" Yuji smirked. Megumi shot him a glare. "No! Where are you even getting that idea?" Yuji laughed a little, but when Megumi didn't return his amusement, the air grew heavier.

"She's... Ririko's best friend'," Megumi finally muttered. "And she is my friend too." Yuji's face softened. He had never seen Megumi get this worked up over someone who wasn't directly involved in jujutsu sorcery. But before he could say anything else, the door creaked open.

Naomi stood in the doorway, her eyes slightly puffy from sleep and what was probably exhaustion. She blinked at the two of them before her gaze settled on Megumi. The air was thick with unspoken words.

"...Megumi?" her voice was softer than usual, uncertain. Megumi swallowed, looking at her carefully. There were so many things to say, but where would he even start? Instead, he just lifted his hand, holding out the necklace—Riri's necklace. Naomi's breath hitched.

Yuji, despite not fully understanding the weight of the situation, watched silently. He had seen Megumi act distant, even cold, toward people, but now, standing in front of Naomi, he looked different—almost hesitant.

Naomi slowly reached out, fingers grazing against the cool metal of the necklace. For a second, it felt like the world had frozen, the reality of everything that had happened crashing back down on her.

"She... she had this with her?" she whispered. Megumi gave a small nod. "She would've wanted you to have it." Naomi gripped the necklace tightly. There was silence. Then, with a shaky breath, Naomi looked up at Megumi, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't understand any of this." Megumi's expression softened. "You don't have to. Not yet."

Yuji, sensing the heavy atmosphere, awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Uh, hey! I'm Itadori Yuji, by the way! Nice to meet you—uh, well, maybe not the best situation to meet, but still!"

Naomi blinked at him before, for the first time since she woke up, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at her lips.

"Nice to meet you too... I guess."

Megumi sighed. "You really have a way with timing, don't you, Itadori?"

Yuji grinned. "It's my special skill!"

Despite everything, Naomi let out a small chuckle. It wasn't much, but for Megumi, it was enough for now.

Double updateuuu 

Help me out and vote and comment, yeah? I'm already dealing with Sukuna in my head—I don't need the stress of silent readers too.