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i.
It’s a dark night tonight.
“What’s your position?” Yuuta hears in his earpiece, but he ignores the question. He’s breathing hard, sweating as he stares into violet colored eyes.
Sirens are ringing through the air. The rest of Yuuta’s team is busy, either attending to the wounded, or questioning witnesses. They continue to rattle out questions into his earpiece, but as he continues to stare into those eyes, the noises all fade away.
“Inumaki Toge,” he calls out, unsheathing his katana. “You’re under arrest for seventeen cases of arson, ten cases of robbery, five cases of first degree murder, and lastly, domestic terrorism. Come with me peacefully and no one has to get hurt.”
But of course, the legendary Inumaki Toge says nothing to that. Yuuta can tell the man is smiling underneath his mask, eyes bright with amusement.
Inumaki Toge. A Curse User that the Jujutsu Defense Force, or JDF, has been trying to catch for over a year. Known for his Cursed Speech Technique, the man was considered a high threat— and though he’s been captured multiple times, he’s always found a way to slither away. The JDF now has dedicated training for its sorcerers to deal with Cursed Speech, all because of Inumaki Toge.
Because the man and his followers tended to target government buildings, politicians, and the wealthy, he’s built up the reputation of being a vigilante. To top it off, he usually leaves behind flowers at his crime scenes, sparking conversation—people chatter about his actions all over social media, trying to figure out the meaning of the flowers left behind. Inumaki Toge is playing a game, and everyone seems eager to play.
But Yuuta knows that Inumaki Toge is just a man with blood on his hands. He’s lost count of how many comrades have lost their lives because of him, how many innocent people have been caught in the crossfire of his schemes. The man justifies his evil actions with his twisted sense of justice, and that’s something Yuuta will never forgive.
As one of the JDF’s top sorcerers, Yuuta’s been on the man’s tail for months now. He’s learned a lot about the man in that time, though none of it particularly useful.
“Tuna mayo, Yuuta. Mentaiko?” The man teases, light hair flowing in the wind. They’ve been playing cat and mouse long enough for Yuuta to understand the man’s nonsense language. Always so formal, Yuuta. Doesn’t it get old?
Yuuta grits his teeth. “I don’t have time for your games today, Inumaki.”
Inumaki lets out a chuckle. He starts to move in close, and it takes all of Yuuta’s strength not to falter. His grip on his katana tightens, and he points it towards Inumaki’s neck, causing the man to pause.
“Not another step,” Yuuta warns.
But Inumaki just lets out another laugh. Yuuta almost wants to scream in frustration. He hears that laugh in his dreams— sees the man’s eyes staring teasingly down at him almost every night. He hates it. He hates Inumaki. But even now, with his sword on the man’s neck, he finds that he can’t bring himself to strike.
“Takana, Yuuta?” The man begins. “Sujiko Tuna.”
You know what I think, Yuuta? I think you actually don’t hate me as much as you think you do.
Yuuta blanches. “I do hate you,” he hisses out. “You’re a murderer. You’re selfish. You hurt people without a thought. And you deserve to be punished.”
Inumaki lets out a thoughtful hum. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, he’s surging forward, a stark contrast to his previous casual demeanor that Yuuta is taken aback. Before he knows it, Inumaki is tackling him onto the ground straddling his hips. His katana flies out of his hands, landing uselessly a few feet away. He immediately starts to fight back, but Inumaki grabs his wrists, pinning him down.
Yuuta’s heart is thundering around in his chest. His body feels unbearably warm. Inumaki starts to lean in, and his nose is filled with the man’s scent, something sweet and floral. How unbearably fitting.
“Then go ahead and punish me,” the man whispers into his ear, and Yuuta feels himself shudder. Inumaki grins at the reaction, and his face burns hot.
His mind whirls with thousands of thoughts— he wants to push Inumaki off, wants to pull the man closer, wants to spit insults at the man’s face, wants to rip that stupid mask he always wears off his face. In the end, he does nothing. Just stares up at the man almost helplessly.
Inumaki stares back, eyes simmering with a heat that causes him to flush. He lets go of Yuuta’s wrists, reaching into his backpack, and pulling out a single red carnation.
“Konbu,” he says, placing it on Yuuta’s chest. He runs his fingers through Yuuta’s hair, before quickly getting off him and disappearing into the night.
Yuuta slowly sits up, holding the red carnation in his hands. His heart is still racing in his chest. His earpiece rings with noise.
“Yuuta! Are you there!? What’s happening?”
“I lost him,” he answers quietly as he studies the red petals.
Later that night, when he’s back in his apartment, he looks up the meaning, only to regret it. His face burns with heat, and he immediately locks his phone, pulling the covers over his head. He should just go to sleep.
Red carnations— lust and sexual tension.
ii.
A few days later, Yuuta receives a letter in the mail. He frowns when he looks at it. There’s no return address, his name written in messy scrawl. He feels his blood rush cold when he opens the envelope and sees a cluster of dried and pressed chickweed flowers, along with a note.
XX Rooftop. Tonight. Come alone.
Since when did Inumaki know his address? The realization makes him feel almost nauseous.
He spends the whole day in a trance, agonizing over his decision. Should he really go? Maybe he should tell the JDF, and they can capture the man once and for all. But he’s sure Inumaki is expecting him to think that. There’s no way the man didn’t make his own preparations.
He could tell Rika, but as soon as he comes up with the thought, he disregards it. She would worry over him, telling him not to go.
In the end, he decides to go alone. He dresses up in his gear, making sure to bring his katana.
Inumaki Toge is waiting for him when he arrives. He looks completely vulnerable, back facing him as the man enjoys the late night city views.
“Konbu,” the man greets, without even turning his head.
Yuuta gives him a glare. “How did you find out where I live?”
Inumaki lets out a chuckle. He finally turns his head, violet eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Even with the mask on his face Yuuta can see the man’s smirk. “Takana mentaiko, Yuuta.” I know a lot about you, Yuuta.
He grits his teeth, hands tightening on his katana. “What do you want?”
Inumaki shrugs. “Just want to talk.”
“Why?”
Inumaki’s response is to give him a stare that causes his cheeks to flush red. The man gestures at him to come closer. After a few moments of hesitation, Yuuta does, though he keeps his katana raised.
He can tell his actions amuse Inumaki, but the man doesn’t comment. Instead he turns back to the city view. “My mother used to always take me star gazing. Can’t really do that here in Tokyo. But the lights aren’t so bad.”
Despite it all, Yuuta finds himself following the man’s gaze. He can’t help but agree. He’s always been fond of Tokyo’s nightview.
“... It is a nice night,” he finds himself mumbling. The smile Inumaki gives him in response makes his heart skip a beat.
His quiet acquiescence seems to be the spark to flame. Before he knows it, he’s long since discarded his katana, the two of them sitting side by side while they converse in earnest. The space between them continues to contract, thighs and shoulders brush.
They don’t talk about anything too important, though Yuuta learns a few things about Inumaki from reading in between the lines. The man was an orphan— he only spoke of his family using past tense. He’s incredibly fond of his crew, eyes fond when he talks about the people he works with.
In return, Yuuta tells Toge about Rika. How she was his very first friend and the most important person in his life.
“Ah, the girl with the mole on her chin,” Inumaki muses. “She stares at me like I’m dirt.”
Yuuta can’t help but let out a chuckle. “I think you deserve that.”
Inumaki stares at him, making him pause. “What?”
The man just shakes his head, eyes bright. “That was my first time seeing you laugh.”
He feels his cheeks heat up. “So what?”
Inumaki just grins. “So, you’re enjoying yourself. Right?”
The heat spreads down his neck. He turns away, avoiding Inumaki’s eyes.
But Inumaki reaches over, cupping Yuuta’s face. He freezes as he stares into the man’s violet eyes. He can feel Inumaki’s breath event through his mask.
“Do you know what chickweed means?” Inumaki asks him.
“No,” Yuuta whispers a bit shakily. Inumaki moves closer, and Yuuta finds himself closing his eyes.
He doesn’t know what he was expecting. A kiss, even with the mask blocking Inumaki’s lips? But Inumaki simply moves over to whisper in his ear, causing him to shiver.
“Look it up when you get home,” he murmurs. He then moves away, standing up and checking his watch. “I gotta go. See you next time, Yuuta.”
And just like that, he’s gone with the wind.
Yuuta looks up the meaning of chickweed when he returns home. He resists the urge to throw his phone against the wall when he reads the definition.
Chickweed— lover’s rendezvous.
iii.
“Absolutely not,” Yuuta hisses, hands clenched into fists. “This is a horrible plan. Sorcerers and civilians alike would be caught in the crossfire.”
Gakuganji lets out a sigh from where he sits at the head of the table. “Sacrifices need to be made sometimes, Okkotsu. You know that.”
Yuuta doesn’t give the man a reply. He stands up from his chair, walking away.
“We are not done here, Okkotsu!” Gakuganji calls out, but Yuuta pretends he doesn’t hear him, storming out of the room.
“Yuuta!” Rika calls out after him, military boots pounding against the tiles.
“I won’t do it, Rika,” Yuuta insists.
“I know,” Rika murmurs, resting a hand soothingly on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to my dad. He can stop the mission from getting clearance.”
Yuuta lets out a sigh. “Didn’t he say he wouldn’t do that anymore?”
Rika’s father was a general for the JDF, and quite honestly, Rika often took advantage of that. It definitely isn’t a great look, and Yuuta knows a lot of people dislike her for that— but no one has dared to speak up about it.
Rika rolls her eyes. “You know Dad is helpless against me. Besides, he wouldn’t like this sort of mission either.”
She reaches down to grab Yuuta’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “You and me, we joined the JDF to save people. Right?”
Yuuta can’t help but smile, squeezing back. Ever since they were children, he and Rika and have dreamed of joining the JDF and making the world a better place. “Right.”
He complains about the whole ordeal to Inumaki later, in the safety of the night. The two of them have been meeting up regularly now. It almost feels like a different world when the two of them get together— they’re simply just Yuuta and Inumaki, not a JDF sorcerer and a wanted felon.
Inumaki’s brows furrow. “... Do you go against your superiors often, Yuuta?”
Yuuta pauses. “Well, I try not to. But sometimes things like this happen. Gakuganji’s just a piece of work, that's all.”
Toge doesn’t say anything in response. Yuuta gives him a frown. “What’s wrong?” He asks.
The man doesn’t answer right away. “You know,” Inumaki begins eventually, “I used to be a JDF Sorcerer."
His words make Yuuta freeze. There’s no way. The higher ups have never mentioned such a thing.
“There’s no record of you being a former Sorcerer,” Yuuta denies.
Inumaki rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure there isn’t. After what happened, I’m sure those bastards did whatever they could to cover things up.”
Inumaki turns to face him then. Yuuta’s taken back by the seriousness in the man’s eyes. “Do the words ‘Takayama Project’ mean anything to you?”
Yuuta pauses. “Takayama is the town that tragically got destroyed while the JDF sealed away a special grade curse,” he answers slowly.
Toge lets out a loud laugh. “So that’s the story they're feeding you guys.” He gives Yuuta a look. “They destroyed Takayama on purpose, Yuuta.”
“Why would they do that?” Yuuta asks.
“Because of me,” Inumaki says quietly, staring at his hands. “Because I was acting up. Disagreeing with their choices on how they ran things. And then they blew up my hometown and killed everyone I loved.”
“... They wouldn’t do that,” Yuuta protests, but the words are weak.
Inumaki gives him a glare. “Are you really going to believe them over me?”
Yuuta opens his mouth, only to close it. Ideally, he wouldn’t doubt the JDF at all. But not now. Not anymore, now that he’s gotten to know Inumaki.
“Is this why you hate the JDF?” He asks quietly.
Inumaki nods. He avoids Yuuta’s gaze, glaring out into the night.
He reaches over, grabbing the man’s hand. “I’m sorry about your family,” he murmurs.
Inumaki gives his hand a squeeze. “It’s okay,” he replies. He gives Yuuta a glance. “Yuuta, do you trust me?”
It’s a weighted question. Still, Yuuta finds himself nodding.
A fire sets ablaze in Inumaki’s eyes. “I trust you too,” he says back, moving in close. “Since the first time we met, I had a feeling I could.”
Yuuta swallows thickly. “Why?”
“You’re a good man,” Inumaki answers. “Anyone can tell that. You care about people, especially the ones you love. You want to make the world a better place.”
Inumaki is now only a breath away, and Yuuta feels pinned down by the man’s gaze. Hesitantly, Yuuta reaches out, tugging gently on the man’s mask. When Inumaki doesn’t protest, he tugs the fabric down, breath stuttering in his throat when he sees the man’s face for the first time.
Enchanting marks spread from the man’s lips and onto his cheeks. A side effect of his cursed speech, perhaps? Yuuta traces the marks in awe, Inumaki’s eyes fluttering shut.
They meet in the middle. Inumaki’s lips are soft, and each press of them sets his whole body aflame.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathes out, when Toge pulls away. The man gives him a smile, and it’s his first time seeing it behind the mask.
Before they part for the night, Toge hands him a letter.
“The JDF needs to be reset. My team and I are planning on infiltrating their HQ soon,” he says. “The details are in here.”
Yuuta gives him a wide-eyed look. “Why are you giving me this?”
“Because I trust you,” he repeats. “I… I wouldn’t mind falling for you, Yuuta.”
He takes off before Yuuta can even fathom how to respond, cheeks flaring with heat.
When Yuuta opens the letter, a dried Iris falls out onto his lap.
Iris— I’m betting everything on you
iv.
Yuuta starts his day with an alarm from HQ. Inumaki Toge and his crew were spotted taking over a government building, and soon enough Yuuta is storming through the building rooftops, chasing after Inumaki Toge once more.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to back you up?” Rika’s voice echoes in his ear.
“I’m fine,” Yuuta answers. He pretends he doesn’t have ulterior motives for charging after Toge alone. “Stay where you are, Rika. I want you to stay and keep the hostages safe.”
He’s confused. Toge never told him he was planning something new. He can’t help but feel a bit betrayed.
Toge glances over his shoulder, making eye contact with him. Yuuta almost hates how easily he reads that look. He lets the man take the lead, and soon enough they’re in an isolated alleyway, far enough away from the swarm of JDF officers.
“What’s going on?” Toge asks, making Yuuta blink at the man in surprise.
“What do you mean?” Yuuta shoots back. “Isn’t this what you planned for?”
There’s a pause. Toge scrunches his brows, tilting his head. Just as he opens his mouth to respond, he’s interrupted by a blasting explosion. Yuuta’s ear drums ring from the violent sound, and heat fills the air suffocatingly. He whips his head around, heart dropping to his stomach when he sees the government building Rika is stationed in engulfed in flames.
“Rika!” Yuuta screams. He starts to run, steps so desperate he almost trips. He frantically touches his ear piece. “Rika, can you hear me? Rika!”
It doesn’t take him long to reach the building. Horror fills his body at the scene, the smell of burning flesh filling his nose. People call out to him, but he barely registers, eyes desperately scanning the area.
When he finally sees her, he almost throws up, gagging on his horror and anxiety. He swallows it down, hurrying over to her and dropping onto his knees.
The left side of Rika’s body has practically burned away, scorched to a crisp. Various debris and shrapnel have embedded themselves into her, the most prominent one sticking out of her chest, puncturing her lungs. The woman is panting for breath, but her eyes soften when she sees Yuuta.
“Yuuta…” She huffs out, and he quickly shushes her, pulling her into his lap and cupping her face.
“Don’t speak,” he chokes out, tears dripping from his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’ll all be okay.”
Rika gives him a smile. She places a hand over Yuuta’s, before the light leaves her eyes.
Yuuta doesn’t know how long he sits there. It almost doesn’t feel real, having Rika lifeless in arms like this.
When he finally looks up, he sees Toge staring down at him, violet eyes wide with shock.
He feels hatred rush through his veins. Before he knows it he’s swinging his katana at the man.
It’s a sloppy, overly emotional attack that Toge dodges easily.
“Okaka, Yuuta,” the man denies.
“Get out of here, Inumaki Toge,” Yuuta hisses.
Toge frowns. “Yuuta—”
“Leave!” He screams.
“You really think I would do this?” Toge snarls back. “Come on, Yuuta. Even if I wanted to kill her, I wouldn’t do it like this. You know that.”
He grits his teeth. He hates that he can’t deny it. But he can’t think about that right now.
“She must have done something to anger the JDF—”
Yuuta throws his katana at Toge’s throat like a dagger. It scratches the man’s neck as he just barely dodges it.
“Leave,” Yuuta pleads, clutching Rika to his chest. “Please.”
Toge doesn’t say anything in reply. But after a pause, Yuuta hears the man’s footsteps fading away.
The funeral is a few days later. Yuuta stands in a daze as he watches Rika’s coffin get covered in dirt. Rika’s father stands beside him, eyes just as empty. The man had turned in his resignation letter this morning.
When the funeral ends, he finds himself still standing there, unable to move even as officers pass by him.
“Well,” he hears someone whisper, “at least the Orimotos won’t be abusing their power anymore.”
Later that night, Yuuta receives a bouquet of chrysanthemums and hyacinths in his mailbox. Despite it all, he finds himself looking up the meanings.
I’m sorry. Please believe me.
v.
Yuuta gets put on leave after Rika’s death. He doesn’t argue about it. He spends the meaningless days cooped up in his apartment. Toge’s bouquet is drying out and wilting on his coffee table, the petals scattered all over the wood.
At first, all he feels is an empty nothingness. However, as the days go by, words start echoing around in his head.
She must have done something to anger the JDF.
At least the Orimotos won’t be abusing their power anymore.
Slowly, anger starts to simmer. The more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Why would Toge blow up a building? He’s never done anything like that before. Not to mention, the story was that his own team members were in there keeping hostages. Toge loves his team— he would never ask them to sacrifice their lives like that.
The anger starts to bubble into hatred. When it finally hits boiling point, Yuuta gets a bouquet of roses, and a note in the mail.
Yuuta,
I hope you’re doing well.
I’m sorry about what happened. I hope you know that I’m here for you.
Yuuta, the things I said before… were all true. I think you and I get along really well. And… I wouldn’t mind falling for you.
Tomorrow, my team and I are going to execute our plan. I just wanted to let you know. Maybe after all this is over, we can have another talk.
See you soon,
Toge
He stares at the note for a long time, sometimes reading it, sometimes just lost in his thoughts.
And after a while, he finally feels something in him snap.
+1
Toge walks into the JDF board room with wide eyes.
All the JDF higher ups lay dead and slouched over their chairs. White spider lilies are scattered across the table, but they slowly turn more and more red as the table continues to pool with blood.
He and his team had arrived just a few moments ago, ready to execute their plan. But the building was shockingly empty. They all separated to investigate. Toge, feeling a quiet sense of dread, decided to head to the board room, and on the way, had eventually started following a path of blood.
Yuuta stands in the board room. He’s out of uniform, just in a T-shirt and jeans. Both are stained red, just like his katana.
“Inumaki-kun!” he greets with a smile. His eyes are shining in a way Toge’s never seen before, bright and manic. Splatters of blood spread across his cheeks like freckles. In his hands he’s holding a bouquet of white spider lilies, but they’ve also been stained red.
“Yuuta,” Toge murmurs quietly. “What have you done?”
The man tilts his head. “I mean you said it yourself, Inumaki-kun,” he says, sheathing his katana with smooth motions. “That the JDF needed to be reset.”
This isn’t what I meant, Toge thinks to himself. But he stays quiet. Watches as Yuuta walks over to him, smiling gently as he cups Toge’s cheek. Even now, Toge thinks Yuuta’s beautiful, his heart beginning to race in his stomach.
He doesn’t resist when Yuuta pulls his mask down and tugs him in for a kiss. In fact, he feels himself moving closer, wrapping his arms around Yuuta’s neck. A desperate, filthy, bloody kiss. It’s electrifying.
Toge knows that the two of them need to get out of here. That Yuuta’s crime is going to cause a storm of chaos throughout the nation. But all rhyme and reason leave his head as Yuuta presses him down onto the table, bloodied flowers and all.
Let them come for them. With Yuuta by his side, Toge can’t help but think the two of them are invincible.
White Spider Lilies— I think of only you.