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“Gojo, is there a reason we are at a club?”
“Now Nanami~, we still got time! Let’s grab a drink!”
Nanami could feel his eye twitch at the annoyance that was Gojo Satoru. Sometimes he finds it hard to believe that man is an adult, but he is and Nanami has to deal with his stupidity on a daily basis since his return to the jujutsu sorcery world. The both of them were suppose to be looking for a sorcerer that simply went by the code name The Siren. The principal of Jujutsu Tech, Masamichi Yaga, said that their curse technique could be of some use to them in hunting down the 20 fingers of Sukuna. However, they had left the world of jujutsu behind, same as Nanami did a long time ago. They haven’t been seen or heard from since, but that didn’t stop Masamichi from looking for them. Nanami didn’t have a clue who this ‘siren’ could be other than a former sorcerer, but he offered to search for them as he himself just returned to Jujutsu Tech and being a sorcerer not too long ago. However, he now regrets it…as he is stuck searching with the biggest idiot of the sorcerer world. The one and only, Gojo Satoru. He may be the strongest, but he’s the dumbest in Nanami’s eyes. After all, he doesn’t respect him. Not one bit. Leave it to Gojo though to diverge from the task to do something completely different and get them off track.
“Just one drink! It won’t hurt you to unwind for a bit, have a drink, listen to some music, and catch up with your old buddy Gojo before we start our search!” Gojo pleaded.
Nanami knew that if he didn’t have that stupid blindfold over his eyes, he would be staring into Gojo’s attempt at puppy dog eyes!
“We’re not ‘buddies’. If we don’t find ‘The Siren’, Principal Masamichi will be furious with us. We gave him our word,” Nanami said, straightening his glasses.
“And find them we shall! But just ONE drink first!” Gojo said wrapping an arm around Nanami’s shoulders,” Come on! Don’t be an Ichiji!”
Nanami shrugged Gojo’s arm off,” I’m not being an Ichiji! And you need to stop bullying him,”
Gojo pouted his lips,” You’re no fun. I’m going in then without you,”
Nanami watched as the goofball entered the club’s front entrance and disappeared into the candle lit room. He sighed and looked up at the neon sign above the entrance. In bright blue letters, the sign said Ocean Cabaret and around it were little neon green fish, whose tails flapped as the lights changed. In the glass case next to the door hung a poster for tonight’s performers. Nanami took a look and saw the highlights were mostly jazz and classical musicians, but in bold letters, it read:
TONIGHT’S SPOTLIGHT PERFORMANCE:
THE ANGEL OF SOUL!
FEATURING THE OCEAN CABARET DANCERS & BAND
LIVE AT 9PM
Nanami checked his watch. That was 30 minutes from now. He looked back at the poster. It didn’t show this performer’s face. The poster contained that other performers pictures, but not the headliner’s?
“Hey buddy,” Nanami turned to see a man dressed in a white suit, the first two buttons on his pin striped shirt undone, and polished shoes standing beside him,” Are you going in or not? You are kind of blocking the entrance?”
Nanami stepped aside and the man muttered something under his breath before going into the dimply lit room. He knew at this point he should leave. He’ll search for ‘The Siren’ himself without Gojo’s help. That’s right. As Nanami went to continue down the sidewalk, he stopped and glanced back at the poster. Angel of Soul…Who could that be? Maybe he knew the artist? Doubtful.
“Damn him…,”he muttered as he turned around and yanked the door to the club open and entered.
Smooth jazz filled the air as Nanami walked down the dimly lit hall and passed through a pair of maroon curtains into what must of been the performance space. Tables lined almost every corner of the space. The room, filled with the noise of chatter from the tables and the jazz melody playing through the air, was a dark navy blue color with gold accenting the columns in every corner. The stage that hosted the band was decorated with sea shells around the border and around the stage itself. The curtains were a sparkling light blue that caught the light to create a shimmer effect along the walls of the room. Waiters in white and navy blue tuxes walked the floor with trays of drinks and what appeared to be finger foods to tables full of people. The smell of alcohol and smoke filled Nanami’s lungs as he looked around the room for Gojo. He spotted the man he met at the entrance sitting in a booth with two women on each arm as he downed a glass of champagne. It almost reminded him of the white haired idiot he was looking for. Nanami almost gave up his search and was starting to look for an empty table when he heard a call of his name from the other side of the stage.
“Nanami~!”
Nanami turned to see Gojo, happily waving his arms at him, from the right side of the stage. He was sitting in a booth up against the wall a little ways away from the stage, but just close enough to where you can see the performers. In front of him sat a half empty glass of what appeared to be a cocktail. Nanami sighed and made his way over to the table.
“You finally decided to join me for that drink, huh?” Gojo teased,” Or did you spy a pretty girl come in? Who is she? Is she here?”
“Shut up! I only came in to hear the music!” Nanami said.
Gojo laughed,” Whatever you say Nanami. Waiter!”
A waiter appeared at their table.
“Another cocktail for my friend here!”Gojo shouted.
Nanami quickly shook his head at the waiter,” No! No thank you! Just some wine will be fine please!”
“Ofcourse sir. What kind would you prefer?” the waiter asked passing Nanami the wine menu for the night.
After selecting his wine, the waiter left to retrieve Nanami’s drink as Gojo tapped his finger on the table, eyeing him carefully.
“Something made you come in Nanami and I know it wasn’t the music,” he said plainly.
Nanami narrowed his eyes,” And if I say no?”
Gojo smiled a toothy grin,” Then I’ll call your bluff and force it out of you. Don’t forget Nanami, I am the strongest out of the both of us,”
“But I’m still Grade 1 and have a chance of defeating you if I have to,” Nanami said back.
“Touche,” Gojo said leaning back with a sip of his baby blue cocktail,” Then tell me, what do you know of ‘The Siren’?”
Nanami had to blink a bit. Did he hear that right? Gojo actually wants to find this missing sorcerer? Nanami doesn’t know anything about them other than what the principal has told them.
“Well, they used to be a student at Jujutsu Tech. After graduating, they have taken on missions and successfully completed them along with their team, but then one day, they left and never returned. No one has seen them since and any record of them has been disposed of at Jujutsu Tech,” Nanami explained,” That is all I know. Do you know more than I do?”
Gojo simply smiled,” I might. I did some searching myself before being called to work with you,”
“Then you must know where they are hiding!” Nanami countered,” If you already started searching, why come to this club?! Let’s go get them!”
“Let me finish my drink! And besides, I want to watch the spotlight act!” Gojo whined.
The spotlight act. Nanami couldn’t let Gojo know that the spotlight act is what brought him into this club in the first place. He had half a mind to ditch Gojo at the club to indulge in his drinks, but he was interested in the spotlight act too. The waiter returned with his wine and a wine glass. Pouring the contents into the glass, the waiter bowed to the two and left them. Nanami took a tiny sip before noticing the room had become much dimmer than when he came in. Gojo turned towards the stage.
“The show’s about to begin,” he said.
The band on the stage started to tune their instruments and it wasn’t long before they started to play. Nanami couldn’t deny that the song so far was spectacular given that it sounded more like a pop song than a jazz song. Soon, the sparkling curtains were drawn back to reveal four women, each dressed in a short blue dress, gold high heels, and blue feathers in their hair. They slowly raised their arms to the ceiling of the stage as the song built up. Nanami followed where their arms were addressing to see a swing, covered in vines, being lowered down. A (tall/short) woman sat upon the seat of the swing as it was being lowered. Suddenly, a spotlight flashed onto the swing to reveal the performer. Nanami about choked on his wine when he saw the woman sitting upon the set piece for the performance. She had (hair length)(hair color) hair tied back into a bun, blue feathers creating a crown upon her head unlike the other girls. She was dressed in a gold silk dress that fell just above her knees with tall black boots on her feet. Her (eye color) eyes shined in the shimmer of the curtains and the spotlight as she leaned back to cause the swing to turn. Two of the women on the stage approached the swing to steady it as the woman stood up and sharply turned to the audience.
“Do you think~you could fall for a woman like me~,” she started to sing,” Cause I find it hard to trust. I need too much and I really don’t believe in love~! No,no,”
Nanami felt like a weight was being removed from his shoulders as the song reached his ears. It felt like her voice was healing him of the days worries, but that couldn’t be true right? She was just a singer.
“Do you think~that I could be the girl of your dreams~? Sometimes I don’t let things go. Get emotional and sometimes I’m just out of control~!” the singer continued as the four women on stage started to dance on either side of the stage.
“You need to stop for a minute,”the dancers sang as they danced,” Before you get too deep up in it!”
“Too deep~,”
“She’s pretty good,” Gojo said with a smile,” What do you think Nanami?”
Nanami glanced over,” Not bad,”
Gojo smirked before returning to the show. The five performers all turned away from the audience as they sang and when they turned back around, the dancers carried giant feathered blue fans with them. They danced with the fans and addressed the lead singer with them from time to time. It wasn’t long before the singer started on the next verse.
“Do you think~that I could be the one that you seek~?” she sang pointing out into the audience with a slight smirk on her red lips,” Cause baby I’m one step ahead. You’re two steps behind, but baby I don’t mind~!”
“Hey Nanami! Do you have a pen I can borrow?” Gojo suddenly asked.
Nanami was getting annoyed. He wanted to enjoy the beauty before him, but Gojo was interrupting it with his talk. With no questions asked, Nanami fished a pen from his coat pocket and passed it to Gojo. With a silent ‘thanks’, Nanami returned to the performance while Gojo doodled on a napkin.
“You need to stop for a minute before you get too deep up in it~,” the dancers started to sing again after the second verse,” Cause everything ain’t what it seems! It’s hard loving a woman~ A woman like me~! You need to think about it before you get hooked on the venom and can’t live without it!”
“Without it~!” the singer harmonized.
That described Nanami perfectly in this moment. He’s already hooked on the venom in her voice and he already knows he can’t live without it.
“It’s hard loving a woman~A woman like me~!”The singer sang as the music begin to slow down and she approached the edge of the stage.
Nanami noticed a head of white hair walking towards the stage. Was that GOJO??? Nanami clenched a fist. He wasn’t new to Gojo’s womanizing ways. He’s seen the idiot out and about with many different girls almost every week. He had his suspicious until Ichiji all but confirmed it to him when he stared down the poor man after asking him where Gojo goes on his off days. Seems like Nanami wasn’t the only one falling for this serenade if Gojo was already making a move. The singer knelt down by the edge of the stage as Gojo approached her.
“Woman like me~Woman like me~!” she harmonized as she watched the white haired man approach,” Woman like me~Oh!”
Gojo wagged his finger towards himself in a ‘come here’ motion and Nanami watched as the singer leaned her head down towards him. Gojo cupped his hand along her (skin tone) ear and slipped the napkin he was doodling on into her hand. Suddenly, Nanami saw her jump back from Gojo and look at him with a look of disbelief on her face. Nanami was worried, but also a bit curious. Did Gojo say something to upset her? Did he insult her? What did he say to her? He watched as Gojo turned, that stupid smile still plastered on his face after whatever he said to the young singer, and headed back to the booth. Nanami noticed the singer was watching him leave and how her (color) eyes locked with his own before one of the dancers lightly kicked her in the leg to get her up.
“You need to stop for a minute!” the dancers sang.
The singer quickly got back on her feet before belting,” Stop for a minute~!”
The song was nearing its’ end and the singer made her way back to the swing. Two dancers held the swing steady while the other two knelt on either side with the fans creating a pathway to the swing. The singer sat down on the swing and it slowly began to rise up into the air.
“Can’t believe everything you see~! It’s hard loving a woman~ A woman like me~! Woman like me~Woman like me~,”the singer sang before leaning back on the swing once more,” Woman like me~!”
The lights on the stage darkened as the swing raised back up into the rafters. Applause rain through the whole room as some patrons of the cabaret club stood up while others remained seated. Nanami was too lost to applaud. Who was that girl? There was no announcer to announce her arrival to the stage or her act. That must of been the Angel of Soul from the poster! Nanami knew for sure it must of been because she was the only performer who’s picture wasn’t on the poster outside. He felt a nudge on his arm and turned to see Gojo standing up and paying the waiter.
“I covered your wine. Lets go,” he said before running off to the door.
Nanami almost didn’t make it out of the booth. He was still awestruck. Once he caught up with Gojo, the two slipped out through the maroon curtians and out the door of the club, but before Nanami could head back to where they parked the car, Gojo tugged on his arm and led him down an alleyway by the left side of the club.
“What are you doing?! Where are we going?!” Nanami asked struggling to get out of Gojo’s grip.
Gojo let go once they reached a door at the end of the alley. Nanami looked up. ‘Stage Door’ was written in black letters. Nanami sharply turned to Gojo.
“Why are we here?” he asked.
Gojo shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged, but kept the stupid smile on his face. Nanami wanted to punch that smile right off his face. He’s been weird all night and Nanami had about had it.
“Gojo, if you don’t explain yourself right now, I’ll…!”
The metal CLANK of a door sounded through the alley.
“Damn it! You got some nerve showing up to my place of work Gojo Satoru!” a female voice rang out.
Nanami looked up to the door and his eyes widened. There she stood. The singer. The Angel of Soul. Her hair was still in the bun from earlier and her makeup was still perfect from her performance on stage. Not even a smudge. She modeled perfection, something Nanami couldn't see from the stage but could see now. The way she carried herself on stage and now are polar opposites. On stage, she modeled grace, mystery, and a bit of a mischievous side, but now, she modeled independence and strength to hold her ground.
“(Y/N)! Baby, how are you?” Gojo asked in his overly cheerful voice as he ran in for a hug.
The woman shoved him away.
“Don’t call me ‘baby’! Save it for those millions of other girls you got on speed dial!” she shouted.
“You wound me (Y/N)…,” Gojo pouted,” Anyways, did you read my note?”
The woman, (Y/N) was her name according to Gojo, crossed her arms and gave him a stern look.
“I did and I’m not interested,” she said.
“WHA???” Gojo yelled, over exaggerating his reaction.
“I’m not going back. Find someone else to do your dirty work,” (Y/N) said before turning to Nanami,” I’m sorry for the rudeness…I’m afraid we haven’t met. I’m (Y/N), but I go by The Angel of Soul here,”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Nanami Kento, Grade 1 sorcerer,” Nanami said bowing slightly to her.
“Grade 1 huh? I remember those days!” she laughed. Her laugh sounded like bells to Nanami.
He couldn’t help the slight blush coating his cheeks.
“I apologize for Gojo’s behavior. I am sorry if he offended you in any way,”Nanami quickly apologized.
“Offended?” (Y/N) giggled,” I’ve been dealing with his dumbass for years now! Did he not tell you I went to Jujutsu Tech too? He was two years my senior,”
“Actually the principal told me you were a former student, but I didn’t know you were two grades behind Gojo. That means you were one year below me. I went to Jujutsu tech myself,” Nanami explained.
“Interesting! I don’t think I ever saw you!” (Y/N) said with a bright smile that made Nanami’s heart beat thrice,” Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you guys in your mission,”
“But please! If you know anything about where we can find a sorcerer who goes by the name ‘The Siren’, we’d be grateful for just that,” Nanami said.
He could feel it in the air. The mood suddenly changed, especially in (Y/N). He saw her bright smile fade from her (skin tone) face and her (color) eyes darken a bit. She crossed her arms again and stared directly into his and Gojo’s faces.
“What do you want with The Siren?” she asked sternly.
“We need their help hunting down the fingers of the curse Sukuna. According to Principal Masamichi, their curse technique can be helpful in finding the residue from curse objects and healing the injured. That is why we must find them. The very life of mankind depends on it,” Nanami explained as Gojo nodded.
(Y/N) stood there in silence before letting out a sigh and staring daggers at Gojo.
“So how long are you going to play dumb and pretend like I’m not the damn siren Gojo?!” she yelled,” I destroyed my own records and yet you were STILL able to find me!”
Nanami blinked. Did he hear that right? (Y/N), this beautiful singer that he just met and see perform, is The Siren??? AND GOJO KNEW THE WHOLE TIME?! Gojo laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
“Well, I told him I already started searching for you before we were partnered together so it is not THAT big of a deal,” Gojo laughed.
“IT IS IF YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME!” Nanami yelled before whacking Gojo over the head.
“OW! Nanamin, that hurt!” Gojo whined.
“Don’t call me that!”
(Y/n) looked at this pair of strange men before her. Sure, she knew Gojo back in their school days. She had a bit of a crush on him. That was until Getou, another old friend of their’s from school, told her about his many flings. She had gone her whole life believing her curse technique was strictly for healing and defense reasons, but never has she been asked to help with something as big as this. That was one of the main reasons she left jujutsu behind. Some curse techniques get treated better than other curse techniques. One technique is not the same as another technique.
“But, if you don’t mind me asking,” (Y/N) looked up to see Nanami looking at her,” Why did you leave? If you are The Siren we’ve been searching for, why did you not want to be found?”
(Y/N) turned away from his gaze before leaning against the wall by the metal stage door. Fishing into her coat pocket, she pulled out a photo and handed it to Nanami. Nanami looked down at the wrinkled photograph to see three people, all in the Jujutsu Tech uniforms, smiling and posing for the picture. In the middle was (Y/N) and on either side of her was two other students. One was a blonde girl with her hair done in a braid, a pair of dark sunglasses on her head, and bright red eyes. The other was a young man with short dyed green hair, blue eyes, and what appeared to be a weapon attached to his belt.
“The higher ups in the jujutsu world always make it sound like your technique is as equal as everyone else’s, but that’s not the case,” (Y/N) explained,” Those two in the photograph were my closest friends back in my schooling days. Other than Gojo and Getou, I hung out with them quite often. We were a team. We all started Jujutsu Tech the same year. We graduated together, but once you leave Jujutsu Tech and get out into the real world, you start to see that the jujutsu world isn’t all its cracked up to be,”
Gojo frowned,” (Y/N), you don’t have to tell him this…,”
Nanami looked over at the white haired idiot. He knew about this story? Was there anything he didn’t know already?!
“He has a right to know. I can tell Gojo. This Nanami Kento left jujutsu behind himself once. Didn’t you? Before I continue, what made you come back to something you left behind?” (Y/N) asked.
Nanami sighed,” Yes. I did leave jujutsu behind and went to work as a salaryman, but I found out that I was still unhappy. Four years, I handled people’s money and that’s all my boss ever cared about. Not the happiness of our customers. One day, I went to my usual bakery spot for lunch and took care of a curse that was causing problems for the young baker girl who worked there. Her smile and thanks was what made me realize that my place was here, saving people from these dreadful apparitions,”
(Y/N) was shocked by Nanami’s story. Never has she met about sorcerer who has left to then return years later. Why would he go back to a job that had so much tragedy with it?
“Well tell me, Nanami Kento, have you ever had someone close to you die?” she suddenly asked catching everyone off guard,” Have you ever had to watch as someone you cared about died at the hands of curses in the name of jujutsu? Tell me, have you ever had to be told that ‘you knew what you signed up for’ after having your friends’ lives taken from them without so much as a second thought?”
Nanami didn’t need her to continue to put two and two together. These two friends in the photo were no longer here. He remembers that feeling. He remembers Yu.
“I have. That was one of the reasons I left. Jujutsu sorcerers to me when I left sounded like a joke, but I’ve learned now and I fight for those I have lost. Why won’t you?” he asked.
(Y/N) lowered her gaze,” As I’ve said before, the higher ups few techniques differently. Say, for example, the head of the Gojo clan had an heir that bore none of the strong techniques of the Gojo clan. They can’t be the heir then. What if a child born with curse energy, but no curse technique was heir to a clan? They are seen as a disgrace. Say you have a curse technique that’ll help in search and rescue, but also for fighting. The higher ups would rather you choose one over the other. We can’t have both. By now, you probably figured out from the principal that my curse technique can sense residue from curse objects. I am a voice user. When I sing, my voice attracts spirit residue from curses and curse objects so it’s great for searching and rescuing of sorcerers. However, I’m not called The Siren simply for that,”
“The principal did mention you had another way to use your voice technique other than singing,” Nanami said,” He said you can use it as a sonic boom of sorts,”
“You are correct Nanami Kento,” (Y/N) chuckled with that smile that made Nanami’s knees grow weak,” I call it Siren Scream. I can use it to stall my opponent as the scream causes vibrations in the ear canal, which in turn causes pain. I can also use it to blast through obstacles. It is that powerful, but my technique was always few as nothing more than support. I was labeled as useless by many since I was always told ‘Why have such a technique if you never get to use it?’. After the loss of my friends, I felt weak. I was forced to stay back as support while they got to go to the front lines and fight! I could of saved them! I could of protected them! They would still be here if I wasn’t forced to stay behind!”
Nanami’s heart broke at the scene. This woman had lived her life being told her technique was nothing more than a nuisance when it came to fighting and protecting. They made her feel this way and Nanami couldn’t stand for it. He too has his own opinions on how the higher ups run things, given that Gojo wishes to do away with them anyways, but with this bit of information, he wouldn’t hesitate to end them either.
“I don’t think your power is useless,”
Gojo almost had to do a double take. Nanami was complimenting someone??? (Y/N) looked up at this man she just met not even ten minutes ago in shock. She was always made to believe her power was nothing more than useless and only good for searching. Here was someone who, like her, had left jujutsu behind, but has since returned and is doing okay. Could she do that too?
“I think you have an extraordinary technique that can be used to help a lot of people. I am sure your friends would think so too,” Nanami said removing his glasses from his face.
This was the first time she has seen his eyes. Dark brown hues staring back at her with a gleam to them that would make any woman, or man, swoon at the sight of them.
Gojo chuckled,” So what do you say (Y/N)? Nanami’s right. Your friends would want you to continue fighting and we really need your help in tracking down the pieces of Sukuna,”
“Will you come back to Jujutsu Tech?” Nanami asked with almost a plead in his voice.
(Y/N) was still awestruck. She didn’t know what to say. Before she could open her mouth to answer, the metal CLANK of the stage door startled her back to reality. She turned to see one of the dancers at the door, an annoyed look on her face and a lit cigarette in her hand.
“Yo (Y/N)! We are back on in ten minutes! Boss said to hurry up and get your ass back in here!” she yelled.
“Okay! I’ll be right there! Just give me a minute!” (Y/N) said as the dancer went back into the building,” Sorry about this, but I gotta cut this talk short. I’d like to keep this job until…,”
“So you’ll come back?” Gojo suddenly asked.
(Y/N) sighed,” I’ll come by Jujutsu Tech tomorrow and have a talk with Masamichi about returning, but just know I’m not doing this for you! I’m doing this for them,”
“We understand. Thank you,” Nanami said,” We’ll let you get back. We’d hate to cause you trouble again,”
(Y/N) smiled up at him,” You guys caused me enough trouble already, but I’ll allow it,”
Before she left, she held her hand out to Nanami.
“Do you have a pen I could borrow?”
Nanami fished his pen back out and handed it to her. From her coat pocket, she brought out the napkin Gojo wrote on earlier. Tearing away Gojo’s message, she placed the napkin on the wall and began to write down something. After finishing, she placed the pen cap back on and handed the items to Nanami. Looking down at the napkin, Nanami’s eyes widened and looked back up into the (color) hues of the singer. With a wink, she headed for the stage door.
“Guess I’ll see you guys later,” she said as she yanked the door open,” Oh and Gojo?”
Gojo smiled up at her,” Yes my darling?”
“Next time you want to get a girl’s attention, don’t interrupt her performance! You almost cost me big time!” (Y/N) yelled before smiling Nanami,” Good night and thank you,”
Once she disappeared into the building, Gojo clapped Nanami on the shoulder.
“Man, she’s got you hooked,” he laughed before Nanami shoved him off again,” So…what’d she write? Is it about me?!”
“Enough! Let’s just get to the car. Ijichi must be a nervous wreck by now,” Nanami said.
“Aw! Come on! Just tell me! Bros before…!” Gojo whined.
“Don’t finish that sentence!”
Gojo pouted the rest of the way to the car. As the white haired idiot walked a few feet ahead of Nanami, it gave the ex-salaryman a chance to fish the napkin back out for a peak. He smiled at the wording on the napkin.
Call me when that idiot Gojo isn’t around! I’d like to get to know you a bit more! ^_^
And beneath the writing was a cell number. Nanami felt his heart swell. He knew this job was dangerous and that he might die one day, but knowing he helped people was enough. However, he never planned to follow a siren’s song and now that he’s fallen, he doesn’t want to let go.