Chapter Text
Reigen isn’t one to be overly suspicious of paranormal meddling, an ironic fact considering what he does for a living. The past few days, though, when he finds himself exhausted, paranoid and everything in between, he can’t help but suspect something’s wrong.
It started with his sleeping habits, oddly enough. He wouldn’t go as far to say he never had trouble sleeping, but he found himself staring at the ceiling one particularly cold night. He shot out of bed with a start, sweat beading down his neck as his mind raced to catch up with him. He knew he’d just woken up from a nightmare- considering his state a pretty bad one, but his memory of it quickly vanished without a second thought. On the rare occasions he’s granted the pleasure of forgetting an awful dream, Reigen embraces it and goes right back to bed. Tonight, however, he can’t.
He wasn’t scared, his mind wasn’t racing, the adrenaline in his body was completely gone, but all he could manage to do was stare out into the darkness of his room. Occasionally, a chill would wrack his body, and the dripping water of a faulty sink would echo through the apartment. He stayed like this until sunrise, and was finally starting to drift off. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep once more was the green hue of light escaping through the closed blinds, and birds chirping outside of his window.
Of course, that instance alone did not warrant any suspicion. Sometimes people just have trouble sleeping, and this experience just proved that Reigen was among those people. He only started to worry when it happened again the next night. And the night after that. And the night after that.
Not being able to sleep again the first time it happened was a mystery to him, but he can’t say the same for the following nights. Instead of staring at the ceiling and trying to recount how many massages he had scheduled for the week, he racked his brain trying to remember something- anything about the nightmare he’d had, what? Three times in a row now? That can’t be a coincidence.
Something was up, he knew that for sure. But he always ended up falling asleep before being able to recall anything about it. Maybe it was for the best, maybe his brain was trying to save him the trouble of dealing with it, maybe he was cursed to be stuck in this repetitive dream loop until he dies. Or maybe he was exhausted from lack of sleep and needed to let it go.
…He’ll talk to Serizawa about it tomorrow.
⋮
The alarm would usually wake him up without any resistance, but today, Reigen wastes away in bed as the sound blares throughout the apartment.
4 hours. That's how much sleep he got, if he had to guess. At least the first time this had happened, it was on a Friday. Now Mondays rolled around and the thought of going into work at 8 in the morning running on only a few hours of sleep gave him a headache. He rubbed the crust from his eyes and slowly maneuvered his body to sit up. If it were any other day, he would maybe consider taking the day off. Maybe . But Mondays and Thursdays had a record of bringing in the most customers, so he wasn’t going to risk missing out on potential clients.
Reigen clearly didn't think this through, because not even halfway through his walk to work his legs felt like jelly and his headache didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon. At times like these, he mourned the fact he was a shitty driver, lived in an area with no reliable bus route, and was terrified of trains.
He bumped shoulders with another man, he seemed in a rush to be somewhere.
“Watch it, asshole!” was called from a distance. Reigen couldn’t be bothered to be annoyed, that’s how tired he was. He decided to focus on anything else but his knees giving out, and landed on the giant, monumental broccoli in the sky. Low hanging fruit, in terms of things to look at, he has to admit.
It hasn't been long since the broccoli just… appeared, but it's already made a huge impact on Seasoning city. The conman has a sneaking suspicion on who caused it, but chooses never to dwell on it. He has enough guilt on his shoulders, being responsible for a giant vegetable shouldn’t be a part of that.
Quickly, the broccoli gained a ton of popularity, and became a major tourist attraction. Locals often would set up shop and sell miscellaneous broccoli themed stuff to any gullible customer (Reigen had thought about getting in on the action, but quickly realized printing dozens of t-shirts or baking hundreds of cookies was out of his ballpark) Some even started different religious groups, all centered around the broccoli and what it represents.
The one thing all of them seemed to agree on was its name. “The Divine Tree.”
Reigen had to stop himself from rolling his eyes when a customer told him about it all. In his humble opinion, he can't see why something as stupid as a giant broccoli would warrant this kind of treatment.
Looking at it now, however, he can’t help but feel… off?
The sunrise sends beacons of light through the taller buildings in Seasoning, and thin wispy rays shine through the branches and florets of the Divine Tree. It should be a pretty sight, objectively it was, but the green hues that coated the city and the shadows casted on buildings below left his mouth feeling dry. Maybe the ominous imagery of green light pouring through his blinds during restless nights made him weary, but he couldn’t help but feel it was something more.
Reigen looked ahead, the road familiar as he approached Spirits and Such. He decided not to look at the broccoli for the rest of the walk.
⋮
The sound of his laptop alarm going off stopped him from spacing out. Staring at the plant in the corner of the office would have to wait, as Reigen looked to confirm what the pre-set alarm had suggested. It was 9, the office should be open right about now, and Serizawa had yet to show up to work.
This typically wouldn’t be a big deal, lots of people come to work right when it opens up, but Serizawa tends to be fashionably early to help Reigen prep the office beforehand. It was a routine that Reigen had followed, even before hiring the ESPer, but he may be a bit spoiled now that he’s gotten used to having someone else help out.
With his current state, tired and spacey, the thought of doing it alone seemed like a hassle. He figured, though, he shouldn’t procrastinate any longer.
Reigen got up from his old, squeaky office chair and headed towards the door. Just as he went to flip the sign to ‘open’, he heard footsteps pounding against the cheap floors of the hallway. A beat later, Serizawa had hastily opened the door, nearly smacking Reigen in the process. The taller man’s eyes widened as he let out a startled sound, stumbling back to create some space between Reigen’s face and the door.
“A-ah, I’m so sorry, Reigen-san!” Serizawa stammered, a habit Reigen had rarely seen anymore, “I know I’m not, um- technically late, but I’m later than I meant to be and I apologize…” Serizawa lost his steam, letting out a big breath and wiping the sweat off his forehead. The surprise Reigen felt wore off, and he noticed how disheveled Serizawa had looked.
“Did you… run to work?” Reigen asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. He watched as Serizawa ran a hand down his face, moving to set his briefcase next to his desk. The man groaned as he leaned into the table.
“My train was delayed, and I waited for an embarrassing amount of time to see if it would arrive. Eventually I noticed it was almost 9 so I booked it.” he sighed a heavy breath, “...I've never felt more out of shape in my life.”
He was sympathetic, sure, but the imagery of his friend awkwardly waiting for a train that would never arrive made Reigen chuckle under his breath. “Well, can’t say my morning was any better. Do you know why your train was delayed?”
Reigen maneuvered to the backroom, sifting through the cupboards for the green tea he stored away. He kept his body turned to Serizawa a bit, silently reassuring the ESPer he was still listening. Serizawa popped the latches on his briefcase and set out his papers on his desk as he talked.
“When I was at the station I tried asking around about the delays. I figured that if I knew what happened I could find out if it was worth the wait or not. The people waiting with me said they heard there was a major traffic jam downtown. Apparently there was an accident that caused it, but I'm not positive. I haven't had the time to see if there's any news about it yet.”
Reigen hummed in response. The information seemed surprising, but looking back on his walk here, he didn't recall the usual hustle and bustle of cars racing towards work. During the few times he wasn’t thinking about the divine tree, his gaze would follow the streets. Only the occasional car would pass him, and one particularly empty bus. The traffic jam theory seemed to make a bit more sense now, but the goosebumps littering his arms told him it was something more. What's up with me, today? He faintly considered knocking on the wooden countertops but decided against being overly superstitious.
Serizawa stretched, and left his desk to help Reigen with prepping. He followed Reigen into the backroom and picked out different snacks to set out for customers (and Tome, for when she inevitably arrives.) “How was your morning? I assume it's better than mine.”
“I wish,” Reigen squinted at the tea box in his hand, nose scrunching up as he tried to read the expiration date, “I slept for four hours last night and the night before wasn’t any better. I think I keep having these weird nightmares, but every time I wake up I forget them. After that it takes me hours just to go back to sleep.” He glanced up to meet Serizawa’s worry painted on his face and stammered. “I-It’s fine though, we don't have that many people scheduled for today so I’ll be fine.” He decides to ignore the amount of walk-ins they usually get on Mondays. Serizawa doesn't seem too convinced.
“Want me to put on some coffee?”
“Waayyyy ahead of you. I already had, like… two cups.” Reigen wanted to avoid seeming as tired as he was, and yawning in the middle of his sentence didn't help. Serizawa still wasn’t convinced.
“...I’ll make another pot.”
Serizawa frowned, turning towards Reigen to give him his full attention.
“Reigen-san, if you didn't get good sleep you should try and take it easy today. Promise me no same-day, on-site exorcisms, no extreme massages, anything like that, alright?” He wanted to protest, but he squirmed under Serizawa’s worried gaze. Reigen sighed, and patted him on his shoulder.
“I promise, big guy. We’ll take it easy today, so stop worrying, alright?”
⋮
The bell on the office door rang, and Reigen immediately snapped his head to greet a potential walk-in. Not a single customer, and one of his scheduled clients had already flaked. He felt like today had exceptionally bad luck. Maybe he should have just taken the day off.
He watched the entrance as he saw a familiar black mop of hair come in and set his bookbag down on the couch. Reigen was secretly disappointed it wasn’t a customer, but it was quickly replaced with a smile as he sat up and looked towards his employee.
“Hey, Mobbu. Felt like coming in early?” Before the other had time to respond, Tome peeked out of the backroom (not so secretly sneaking snacks from the cabinets)
“Mob!” She ran up to him and slammed her hands down on the arm of the couch, “Did you bring it?”
Mob stared at her blank for a moment, before remembering what she’d been referring to. He sat down on the couch and brought the bookbag up to his lap, zipping it open and searching through the contents. Tome bounced on her heels, hyper ever since she came in early today, waiting not so patiently for Mob to hurry up.
Eventually Mob pulled out a thick book, judging from the cover art it looked to be some sort of typical Shonen manga. Tome snatched it out of his hands and held it out in hers, her smile blinding the entire room.
“Ah-haaa!! No way, I can’t believe you had this!!” Tome turned to mob, holding the manga close to her now as if everyone in the room would try and steal it for themselves, “Thank you so much Mob you have no idea how long I've wanted to read this series!”
“You’re welcome, Tome.” Mob smiled, subtle but genuine, “Though, ah… I only have the first issue. I never really read it so I never bought more-”
“You’ve never read it?! It’s supposed to be really good!”
“Read what? What is it?” Reigen squinted, trying to read the big chunky lettering on the front cover. Man, maybe he needed glasses… or contacts, he would never be caught dead wearing glasses…
“It’s ‘K.O Man’! My friend Ichika was telling me all about it and said it was one of the best she’s ever read!”
Serizawa perked up from his desk, now matching Tomes' excitement. “Ah, I’ve read it, I enjoyed it very much!” He looked up at the ceiling, “I think I still have some issues, I’d have to look for them but if you want to read more you can borrow-”
“Really? Wow, thanks Serizawa-san!”
“Isn’t K.O Man just a really overpowered Shonen hero?” Reigen did not understand the appeal.
“Yes,” Mob chimed in, “From what I heard, he can K.O anyone in one hit.”
“Yeah, but doesn't that take the fun out of it? There needs to be conflict to have a good story, so if the guy can just hit anyone once and win, what's the point?” Reigen tried and failed to balance a pencil on his finger.
Serizawa turned to Reigen now, determined to defend the series “Actually it's more of, um- a parody of Shonen than anything. And the main character struggles with his strength because it takes the fun out of being a-”
“AHHH, STOP! No spoilers, Serizawa-san, let me read the first chapter at least!” Tome covered her ears and barked at the ESPer.
Reigen snickered, sleazy smile plastered on his face as he went back to messing around with different fonts on the S&S website. “Whatever, have fun with your weird superhero manga.”
“You’re just an old fart that doesn't know how to enjoy things.” Tome stuck her tongue out and plopped down on the couch next to the mob, making a show to flip through the pages and start reading the first chapter. A few beats of silence washed over the room until Reigen remembered Mob had arrived.
“So, Mob,” Reigen prompted, bringing the previous high energy conservation down to a more casual tone, “School got canceled today for you too, huh?”
Mob nodded, his finger commanding psychic energy to get himself a milk carton from the mini fridge. He poked a straw through the top.
“Mhm, they said they were understaffed.” He took a sip out of the carton, “We were alone in class for a while, and a lot of our teachers hadn’t arrived, so they let everyone go home. Ritsu was glad because he said he didn't study enough for today’s test, so he’s home studying now.”
Reigen chuckled, “Free day from school and he’s still doing school work, huh? Strange kid.” Mob just hummed in response, drinking the milk carton.
“The traffic must be really bad if two different schools had to cancel. I wonder if Teru’s school did the same?” Tome peeked up from reading, from the looks of it making pretty good progress in the manga already.
“Oh, right.” Mob set the milk down and pulled his phone out, “I should ask, maybe he can come over as well?”
Tome perked her head up, “Hey, good idea Mob! It’s been, like, ages since everyone hung out here. Hey!” She turned towards Mob, crossing her legs and tapping the top of his phone, “I bet you can convince Ritsu to head over here too! He’s always such a dweeb when it comes to school stuff, what's one off day gonna do to his grades? I bet if you get that ginger kid on board he’ll make an excuse to come and hang.”
“Shou?”
“What? Am I supposed to keep track of all the kids who flock to this place? I’m just the secretary.” Tome settled down again, going back to silently reading her Shonen. Only the occasional snicker from Tome’s direction, and quiet news chatter from Serizawa’s phone interrupted the silence.
Over the fog in his brain, and the buzzing of the AC, Reigen could briefly make out the words “ unknown causes” mentioned by the news anchors. He figured that with the lack of customers, and lack of stimuli keeping him awake, he might look more into the traffic jam. Reigen hunched over his keyboard, intently scrolling through different social media and news outlets. Coming across a convenient hashtag helped to enable him.
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Seasoning City News ✓ @SeasoningNews
BREAKING NEWS: Traffic jams in downtown Seasoning cause major
roads to be blocked off. About 20 people are feared injured after
several reported cars failed to break and rammed into other vehicles.
See more details at seasoningnewsofficial.com ➜
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Seasoning Police Department ✓ @SeasoningCityPD
🚨Traffic Advisory: Coarsely Rd and Annatto Blvd is closed in both
directions due to minor car accidents earlier in the morning. Please
plan accordingly and use alternate routes.
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WEAZEL ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡ @weazledawgz
me: see’s news about everyone getting into wrecks
also me: lives downtown
I think I'll stay home today… ૮₍˶ •. • ⑅₎ა
#SeasoningCity #SeasoningTrafficUpdate
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Badd @Bad_dapples
@weazledawg omg shut up with the stupid emojis MY CAR WAS
FUCKING TOTALLED..
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i dropped my salad. @drppedmysld
Please please PLEASE stay safe if you’re driving on Paella St! I was
almost hit multiple times, there are some VERY reckless drivers out
here today. police havent taken any action #SeasoningTrafficUpdate
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#1 Vash stan @silverprincesss23985702
Help my school bus is stuck on a bridge surrounded by cops what
should I do im literally crying helpppp 😭
#SeasoningTrafficUpdate
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Knievel @ev1lb31ng
@silverprincesss23985702 keep crying baby wah wah wah
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#1 Vash stan @silverprincesss23985702
@ev1lb31ng SHUT UP YOU'RE LITERALLY ON THE SAME BUS AS ME
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Hitachi kobe @HitachiK845903256
My car was totaled, I can't even call a tow truck because of how many
cars I'm surrounded by. SCPD needs to get their act together and close
off the roads before someone is killed
#SeasoningTrafficUpdate @SeasoningCityPD
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Unknown causes my ass , Reigen scoffed. It was really strange though, why had there been so many accidents? Why now, so out of the blue? Why’d he feel like someone was next to him-
Reigen almost pissed himself. Jumping out of his seat, he was surprised to see Tome hovering over his shoulder and reading all of the tweets on screen.
“CRAP, TOME! Warn me next time you decide to sneak up on me! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Reigen clutched his chest like an old man dying from cardiac arrest, a little less sarcastically than he would prefer.
“Not counting on it, but it would be super funny if it happened.” She squinted back at his screen. “You think it was an accident or something?”
Reigen sighed, dragging a hand across his face and resuming his doom scrolling. “They’re saying it was a mix of accidents and cars stopping in the middle of the road, mostly around the city center, though.”
“Isn’t that where the Divine Tree is? I always see a huge crowd of people there.”
Reigen tried making a mental map of downtown Seasoning, struggling to do so with his brain being mush. “More of the major accidents seemed to have happened near the Divine tree, yes. Though the traffic jams are on the surrounding roads.”
“Do you think it might be something paranormal? Or- or strange cult activities where they chant in the middle of the streets?” she flew her hands in different directions, rambling on. “Don’t you think it's a weird coincidence that one of the biggest traffic jams in Seasoning City took place right where the Divine Tree is? The HUGE broccoli that sprouted out of no-where? It has to have something to do with it! You agree, right Mob? Tell me you can sense something ominous about that thing!”
Mob looked up from his homework in surprise, nervous about the sudden attention. “Um… I haven't detected anything spiritual coming from the Divine tree, so I don't think you should worry too much about it, Tome.”
Serizawa, eavesdropping, looked up at the ceiling in thought. “It’s possible, but… I mean, I'm not so sure if people causing problems in the streets is something worth classifying as paranormal. If that’s even what happened.”
The ESPer looked past Reigen and out the window, eyeing the towering vegetable. “It’s definitely weird... and inconvenient for everyone- but a traffic jam isn't the end of the world. It will probably be fixed up by tomorrow.” He smiled, trying to be positive about the disturbance.
“May not be the end of the world, but I need to pay the rent somehow.” The conman muttered into his palm.
“Hey, look at the bright side!” Tome walked over to lounge on the couch’s armrest, putting her hands behind her head like she was a gruff sheriff in some old western film, “at least the traffic jam is giving us all an excuse to laze around the office today.”
“You do that most days, Tome, don't act like this is some special occasion.”
“True, but today you can’t get mad at me for it. That’s what makes it special ” Tome’s jazz hands was Reigns last straw. He officially checked out of the conversation in leu of scrolling through twitter, and tries to ignore the goosebumps littering his arms..
⋮
What’s the phrase? Calm before the storm? He felt like that applied pretty heavily, even if
The others don’t seem to notice it.
Teru had arrived not too long after Mob texted him. He seemed eager to hang out, claiming school had been canceled for him as well (Reigen’s sure that even if the blonde kid did have class, he would leave in a heartbeat to hang out anyways). While Tome and Serizawa were talking about issue one of K.O. Man, Teru made a spot on the floor his designated craft zone, sitting on his jacket and lacing his fingers with a work-in-progress friendship bracelet. Mob soon abandoned his study book in favor of learning how to make rubber band frogs, and the room filled with the comforting background noise of everyone doing their own activities. Reigen felt like the odd one out.
He couldn’t help the prickle of goosebumps on his arms, or the slight chill that ran up his back every time the sun shifted through the window and casted shadows against his desk. How when clouds would part the sky and reveal the green monument behind them, he felt he was at the ocean, being warned not to turn his back on violent, crashing waves. The Divine Tree, whether Reigen liked it or not, occupied every space in his mind and wouldn't go away.
He’s read the stories of countless citizens who were affected by the traffic nightmare happening downtown, and only few mentioned the giant broccoli. So why was he being so paranoid about it? He, embarrassingly enough, asked Serizawa if he was cursed around the third time he caught the ESPer staring at him between Tome’s chattering.
“Y-you don’t seem to be? Why do you ask, are you feeling alright? You seem jumpy.”
So he is just being paranoid. Great. Fantastic, even. At least if he was cursed he could put a name whatever's been making him act this strange. “I'm fine, just… Paranoid, I guess.” Honesty was something he's still trying to get used to.
“About what?”
“...” Reigen maneuvered his swivel chair, body turned to face the window. Everything weird that’s been happening, every sinking feeling in his stomach, he finds himself looking at-
“The Broccoli. Somethings up with it.” Reigen hadn’t meant to speak out loud, but when he swiveled back towards his laptop he was met with confused faces.
“The… Broccoli?” Serizawa was skeptical, but Tome used this opportunity to jump to her feet. She nearly tripped over Teru’s bead box as she marched towards Reigen’s desk. A dissatisfied sound murmured behind her.
“SO I'M RIGHT! There IS something fishy about the broccoli! What gave it away? The mass obsession it garnered the minute it appeared? The religious groups that formed, centered around worshiping it? The strange cult activities that are no doubt causing all of the traffic and car wrecks?!” If Tome leaned over Reigen’s desk any further she would have tumbled forward and fallen flat on her face. Her excited rant made his head swell a bit, but he stopped to think nonetheless. Why was he so certain the broccoli had something to do with all of this?
“... I don't really know. I just have a feeling.”
“A feeling?” Teru stood up from his spot on the floor, “Is it some sort of psychic prophecy? I assume it's an ability you have, ya’know, considering how powerful you are and everything.” Despite it being obvious Teru was just poking fun at the conman, Reigen couldn’t help but shrink a little at the comment. He sat up in his seat, counting the important points of time on his fingers as he shared what he knew so far (which isn't a whole lot.)
“The past few nights, I've woken up from a dream I can't remember. Every time I end up falling back to sleep around 6AM, the last thing I see before dozing off is this- green light shining through my window. On my way to work today I saw how the broccoli tints the light green when the sun shines through it. Mentally. I connected the dots, and I’ve just been paranoid over this stupid vegetable in the sky ever since.”
“...Soooo, do you or do you not agree that weird vegetable cults are behind this?”
“I'm saying it's probably nothing and I’m just jumpy because I haven't gotten any sleep in the past three days.”
“I wonder if there's a way to remember the dream you had,” Mob shifted, crouching with his hands on his knees, “Maybe if you did, it would make a little more sense?”
“Yeah well, can’t exactly just snap my fingers and remember it suddenly.” Reigen’s brain caught up to him and he immediately retorted with something less venomous, “But- you’re right, Mob. I think the dream is bugging me the most, I bet the moment I remember it I’ll be 100% again, so don’t worry, alright?”
“Well good for you, but what about the Divine Tree?” Tome crossed her arms, annoyed that no one, not even Reigen, shared the same passion for putting the damn vegetable to justice. “Even if you do remember it, the weird stuff happening around town won’t go away. It's not like the answer to your dream is gonna fix the traffic jam. Don't get me wrong, I love missing school, but we should get to the bottom of it!”
“Okay, look- how about this,” Reigen stood up, putting his hands out in defense and moving towards the window, “I'm gonna shut the blinds, and we’re not gonna talk about the giant broccoli for at least 20 minutes, sound good?”
“Do we get a prize if we do it?” Teru grinned, happy to annoy the conman more. Reigen sighed and, no doubt, would have dragged a hand across his face if he wasn't occupied with fiddling the blinds around.
“There's bound to be no customers the rest of the day, so I’ll tell you what. We go back to doing or talking about non-broccoli related things for at least 20 minutes and then me and Serizawa will treat you guys to soba. Deal?”
Over the excited chattering, Reigen’s ears picked up the horrible, faint sound of car wheels skidding on pavement. He was immediately reminded of his paper thin walls, and the loud cars that would blare across the roads outside of his apartment, and didn't think much of it. He glimpsed outside the window, taking one last peak at the broccoli, before his eyes trailed down to the street below.
He barely had a chance to think before he saw a short red car skid off the road and crash bumper-first into a powerline.
The harsh impact of metal on wood was quickly followed by the lights above flickering. Stunned silence filled the room. Murmurs rose up behind him, and Reigen felt his shoulders collide with much broader ones. He absent mindedly wandered if Serizawa had brushed past him to peer out the window, before he realized he himself was moving.
Reigen’s legs carried him on autopilot, running out the door and nearly tripping down two flights of stairs as his mind raced with concern. Sure, all morning he’s read about car wrecks, but actually seeing once coincidentally happen in front of you is different. He can’t help but absently wander if he manifested it or something else comparably bizarre, and as if no time passed at all, he found himself running into the middle of the road and peering into the cars window. Through tinted glass he made out a woman, no more than 40, unconscious against a deployed airbag.
Reigen found himself shuttering out a thankful breath he didn't know he was holding when he found the car's door to be unlocked. Opening it, he leaned towards the woman as his shaky hands hovered over her figure. He’s not supposed to move her head at all, right? She could have a broken neck, or spine, and accidentally adding to her injuries wont do any good. Shit, what is he supposed to do then? Panicking, Reigen dusted off broken glass from the airbag and dashboard, being careful to grab her shoulders and try to lean her back towards her seat. As he slowly maneuvered her, the woman began to stir as her eyes flinched in discomfort.
Oh thank god, she's waking up…
“H-hey, miss? ‘You awake?” He shook her shoulder, still worried about moving her head too much. Despite his concerns, her head bobbed up tiredly, lifting up from the airbag. Her face was smeared from blood, old and new, and after quick examination it was easy to see the culprit was a bloody nose. Reigen wasn’t a doctor, but he winced at the way it awkwardly bent. Despite the (seemingly) broken nose, he didn’t see any other injuries to be had. More confident that he could help, the blonde tried to see if she was able to talk.
“Hey, listen, you were just in a crash, remember? How about I help you out of the car and we can call the police or an ambulance or something, okay?”
“Nghh… I-m… head feels-”
“Dizzy? Yeah, yeah I bet- um, let's get you out okay? Just-” Reigen locked one of his arms with the lady’s, using his other to move her shoulder and help her lean out of the airbag. Slowly but surely, the two made their way out of the driver's seat and Reigen guided her towards the curb. Unaware of the pattering feet behind him, he crouched, helping her sit down on the curb a few feet away. Once she was settled, Reigen gave them both a chance to catch their breath. His heart was still pounding as he looked up to see Serizawa, Mob, Tome and Teru running up towards the scene.
“Master, is she alright?” Mob's face was painted with worry, lips frowning as he stared at the blood on her face. Reigen used his unoccupied hand to wave at them.
“Ah- um… I think she has a broken nose but… other than that she seems okay.” He felt old, being this out of breath. “Serizawa, I left my phone in the office could you- umm, call an ambulance?”
“Y-yes, of course!” The taller man scrambled for his phone, hastily dialing the number and stepped off to the side while the gaggle of kids voiced their equal concern. Reigen had to silently remind them to pipe down, as it's likely the woman had a concussion, and they shut up immediately. If only it were that easy during work hours… He turned his attention back towards the lady as she wobbled, more conscious now.
“Hey, do you remember what happened? How did you crash?”
The woman crossed her hands under her arms, shaking a little (most likely in shock). She sniffed her nose as blood continued to drip onto the pavement below. Before she got the chance to talk, she broke out into a cough, nasally and horrible sounding. Instinctively, she flew a hand up to cover her mouth. Reigen couldn’t help but stare at it.
If he thought the broken nose was the worst of it, he was wrong. Her left hand was covered in blood, fresh and gory, glistening over her fingers. If Reigen had to put a name to the wound, though it looked odd and mangled, he would best describe it as teeth marks. Something- Someone had bit her hand.
The kids noticed too, if a whispered cursed and confused looks were anything to go by.
“Ma’am, you’re hand…” Tome walked forward a bit, eyes furrowed and finger pointed towards the injury as if someone could possibly miss it. The woman's breath hitched, catching on a cough as her head snapped up to meet Tome’s.
Then Teru.
Then Mob.
Then her hand.
She stared, almost dumbfounded it was there. The woman's shoulders relaxed as she grabbed her wrist with her good hand, examining it. Her face dropped, expression unknown but disturbing to Reigen, as he saw her eyes meet yet again with Tome’s, unblinking and wide. Her jaw was slack, eyes dilating and pupils blown wide open as she continued to stare, unmoving. The teen caved under the frightening look, and she tested the waters by taking a tentative step back.
Before Reigen knew it, his arm was being yanked along as the woman charged at Tome, arms wide and swiping. The black haired girl yelped, falling against Teru as he, too, was caught off guard by the sudden hostility. Before the woman could lay a hand on either of them, Reigen pulled her away, seizing her arms behind her back while she fought and lashed out at the teens. While he restrained her, his gaze flickered towards Mob. The boy seemed conflicted, horror subtly washed over his expression, but all he managed to do at that moment was stand by Tome and Teru, clenching his fist’s in his shirt. Serizawa abandoned his phone moments ago, also seemingly conflicted. This random lady who had gotten into a car wreck suddenly attacked a teenage girl. To be honest, what was anyone supposed to make of that?
The woman suddenly turned, ripping her hands out from Reigen's grip. Before he could regain his composure, she shoved her shoulder into his chest and tackled him. The millisecond that he stood freefalling, his brain yelled at him to guard his head. His body, however, was too slow to react, and before Reigen knew he went crashing down onto the hard street below. The minute his head cracked onto the pavement his ears violently rang. His vision blurred, and his head pulsed as black specks danced around his peripheral. Reigen's mind felt empty, occupied instead with the loud, drowned out sound of his brain beating in his skull, and before he knew it, he succumbed to unconsciousness.
⋮
Reigen had that dream again.
Aqua blue buildings towered over trees, and the serenity of
empty streets filled him with a sense of peace.
He found himself looking up at the sky, and smiled.
Nothing obscured the blue dome, not clouds, nor trees, nor birds.
Everything was still, quiet. It was nice.
Then the scene would shift.
The sky’s once lively, pastel color had dulled.
Thick, polluted clouds blocked out the specks of light that remained. Pristine
Buildings were reduced to decrepit reminders of something once lived in.
The scene before was altered, but also presented something new,
casting shadows on the street below.
A giant, towering broccoli.
