Chapter Text
“Relax, guild master. It’s me.” Toji raised a hand, to calm you down. He stepped towards you leaning against the railing, and placed a hand on it too. “I came up here to find you. You had been gone for a little while.”
“Yeah, I guess I might have been. Sorry for that.” You chuckled softly. “It was just a bit warm in there, and I got lost in my thoughts.”
“No, I agree. It was getting a bit warm. I was already considering stepping outside anyways, and thought to join you.” Toji took a deep whiff of the crisp outside air, and breathed it out steadily. “How are you finding the festivities?”
“They’re going well, yeah. The food’s okay - it’s not fully my thing, but I can appreciate it.”
“That’s understandable. I feel likewise.” Toji drummed his fingers on the hand railing absentmindedly. You both quietly looked over Tokyo, with its bright lights and neon signage, along with the hustle and bustle of the traffic below. It provided a subtle ambience, and when mixed with the sounds of the party going on below, made it all feel so relaxing. You cleared your throat.
“Are you having fun tonight, Toji?”
“Fun…” Toji closed his eyes. “I’m not sure when I last did, really. I suppose I might be.”
“How… are the voices?”
Toji stiffened up. You mentally cursed yourself for asking such an insensitive question, and an awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments.
“L-Look, you don’t have to answer--”
“They’re tolerable, for now.” Toji sighed, reaching up to massage his forehead and temples. “I think I might have a bit of a headache. But being outside is alleviating it somewhat.”
“I… understand.” You said quietly. In truth, you didn’t at all. While Toji battled with two voices in his brain constantly, who threatened to take over his mind, he thought you had 23 other voices butting in. But in truth, no memories and no voices flooded your head. You were like a blank slate.
“I know you do.” Toji sighed, removing his hands from his head. “After all, you have 23 other voices battling for dominance in your head at all times. That’s plenty more than what I have to deal with.”
“A-Actually, I don’t.” You blurted out.
“...What?”
“I… see, Toji…” You faced him and he looked at you with concern. “24 voices is too much for one human mind to handle. So… instead of that, there are no voices in my head, and I have lost all of my personal memories as well.”
Toji’s eyes widened as he stared at you in shock. You lowered your gaze, laughing nervously as you fidgeted with your clothes.
“You don’t remember anything?”
“Well, just the basic things like my name, age and that this phone,” You waved your phone. “Is mine, but other than that, nothing.” You exhaled heavily through your nose and rested on the hand railing. “I think it doesn’t apply to muscle memory though, otherwise I’d have no clue how to handle a sword.”
“I… understand.” Toji said quietly. You both continued in silence until you spoke again.
“I appreciate you being here, Toji, even if this sort of gathering isn’t really your thing.” You patted his hand. “You said it yourself - you’re so used to being alone and all, so being in a guild all of a sudden may have been hard to adjust to.”
“While I did work closely with the police once, yes… this guild situation is a bit new to me.”
“I’m glad you’re taking it well.”
“Thanks. And thank you, for teaching me that I didn’t have to face the world alone.” Toji turned over his palm so he could hold your hand.
“What do you mean?”
“I used to believe that I should always be alone,” Toji admitted, his eyes looking downcast. “I couldn’t trust anybody, not even myself, as the memories of the previous owners of these katanas flooded my thoughts at all times. I didn’t think… I could have somebody to be close to.”
“I see.”
“But then, you came along.” Toji looked at you. “You snapped me out of my thoughts of failure when I summoned that Exception, and you helped me defeat it. I could never have been more grateful for your help, and later, you accepting me into the guild. I know I have much to learn about working with others, but I know that with you, it will be alright. And I know that I no longer want to fight alone.”
Toji turned, so that both of you were now holding hands while facing each other.
“I want to always be by your side.”
You smiled.
“Thank you, Toji. I would be glad to be by your side too.”
“Did you notice?” Toji drew your attention towards him, and he pointed forward. You followed his index finger to see a small bit of mistletoe hanging down from the archway leading to the balcony. “There’s some mistletoe there.”
“Huh, I don’t think I did.” You shrugged. You found yourselves standing underneath it, and Toji cleared his throat.
“It’s only a tradition. We don’t have to, you know,” Toji averted his gaze. “Kiss, or whatever. It doesn’t matter to me.” But you grabbed his chin tenderly and brought it back to face you.
“But what if I’d like to?” You asked slyly, before capturing his lips. He adjusted well to the change, kissing you back gently and caressing your shoulder. When you pulled away, you took a moment to admire the other’s eyes.
“Well, that was… nice.” Toji slowly said. You giggled and took his hand once more. You knew that from the look of his face, he enjoyed it as much as you did.
“Hehe. Ready to go join the others, Toji?”
“Of course. I’ll be right beside you.”