Chapter Text
He had been met halfway. A manager, responsible for the mission, soon found that only one of the twelve people designated to hunt down Anne Bonny survived the mission, albeit, with her survival alongside it.
Yoji’s tall task wasn't entirely ignored. He was given the grace of a promotion, in spite of the failure in bringing her down.
By the upper brass’ orders, the mangled bodies of his fellow soldiers and previous commanders were retrieved, and subsequently buried.
He didn't quite want that spear to leave his side, so even if wounded, only wearing the dark red kimono of the typical uniform without the armor, Yoji still held the weapon on his back, even as he watched the stony graves created for them, remembering the battle with his fists clenched.
Maybe if he had tried harder... From the very start, at least. He... If he had only used everything he had, instead of adhering to what the others could and would, he could have saved them. He could have helped them.
He joined the Triumvirate so he wouldn't need to try. So he could be one of many, who could rely on the large numbers and basic training of these soldiers who more often than not were modern day people, which almost appeared to be a rarity nowadays.
The broadening of standards for comradery, now stemming not from region, past or even nationality but merely existing at a similar time frame was harrowing... But Yoji still appreciated it while it lasted, so now that all these people are dead...
They weren't the only ones. Eleven graves were a small amount compared to the hundreds alongside them, usually torn apart by monsters of proportions only the tiniest echelon of the Triumvirate could defeat. And still, they were expanding.
Some were farming, others were re-starting infrastructure and Yoji was pretty sure the main palace already had electric energy. The Triumvirate, slowly but surely, allowed him to return to a somewhat normal life... Until now.
He wasn't exceptional during training, but he was decidedly good enough. With a fully functioning body and still quite a lot of youth left for him, in his early twenties, he was strong and healthy even without proper training.
So while a bit annoying, he wasn't surprised he was eventually brought into the field, as a soldier not merely to demark territory, conquer lands that had been long abandoned, occasionally bringing down a middle of the road sorcerer who declared himself the local warlord. But hunting the greater foes eventually happened too, and Anne Bonny was too much.
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“Your turn!” Manzen offered Yoji the bottle, not to drink, it was long empty, but rather, it was but a team building exercise. “Don’t scamp out, do me a good one!”
Yoji chuckled, of course he’d ask that, having spilled to the group that he once got arrested for public indecency by stripping entirely naked when he got drunk for the first time... In a public bar.
“It’s not my fault you run your mouth” Yoji replied, “I... Uhhh... Yoji Shungo. I’m twenty-two, and... I was going to cramp to get into a nice university, but... Not sure which I’d even pick. Until then I was working at a laundromat, don’t recommend. Way more people bring stuff with shit stains than you’re ever told, c’mon man, no need to be scared”
The occasional, sensible exhale escaped his fellow soldiers, all surrounding a grouping of beer bottles, all by now empty. Yoji pointed at Muyaku, a fellow laundromat worker who didn’t go into such details, and defensively raised his hands
“Look man, we just ate...” Muyaku argued in his defense
“Either way” Yoji breathed, “Really, I guess it’s alright I’m here, I mean, let’s be real, I wasn’t ever becoming an astronaut!”
“There’s no way you still wanted that” Ishida pointed toward Yoji, in disbelief, “You’re just making shit up now”
“I’m being honest!” Yoji argued, “I was gonna settle for some boring office job or whatnot but the goal was always getting on a rocket ship. Too bad my technique had fuck all to do with that”
“Come on, spit it” Ishida raised, “It can’t possibly be worse than controlling fucking pencils.”
“Oh, I’m the one making shit up!” Yoji argued “But mine... Eh, I guess no point in hiding, I-”
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“Shungo.” Yoji was snapped out of his memory as he once again now faced mere engravings of the people he remembered, etched into stones, yet so insufficient, even if these were men he didn’t share more than a month alongside.
“Commander Bunretsu.” Yoji acknowledged, the man, with a solemn look on his face for once, in spite of being a notorious hardass, approached the teenager.
“I fear that honorific is pointless now” Sakeru did retain some of his self-importance, “But nevertheless. I am truly sorry for your loss. An entire squadron is quite a weight to bear.”
Of course, losing an entire squadron wasn’t the real concern, the mass graves made that clear. It’s that so very often, not a soul made it out of these tragedies... Yoji was only an exception because he survived.
“Commander Inakuro was a great man.” Sakeru added, “May he rest in peace, alongside all of the others.”
“Indeed.” Yoji nodded, unsure of what to add.
“The Triumvirate wants to see you.” Sakeru dropped, Yoji tilting his head to the side, a sudden rush of concern. “Just go ahead, Master Ashiya will know you’re on your way already.”
Yoji nodded, and hesitantly began to make his trek to the castle. He didn’t want to force his superiors to wait, especially after Ashiya knew the message had indeed been delivered. He rose the flight of stairs, and then walked past as two men pried open the front gates.
Other than the roofing, the castle was mostly complete. At this point, it would have been, but some damage to the second floor, directly atop the throne room, apparently halted the tile placement ever so slightly.
Carefully, he was yet again allowed entrance toward said enormous room. Three thrones, one for each of the leaders. Karofuku, Genghis and Sadatsuna, each with different levels of adornment, and their owners sitting peacefully upon them. The centermost, with an added resident.
“You know baby, there’s this western movie I thought looked pretty interesting, little shop of horrors or some bullcrap like that, what do you think we watch it later?” Genghis purred, his hand rubbing softly against the back of the chuckling lady’s neck, caressing her hair.
“Oh please...” Wu blushed, covering her mouth with her hand as Genghis didn’t even hesitate, or stutter, as he noticed Yoji walking in, in spite of having the woman sitting sideways on his lap.
“Yoji Shungo, isn’t it?” Genghis asked, smirking. He was very often the voice of the trio, as neither of his colleagues was ever intent on making small talk or declarations. Nevertheless, their existence was vital in keeping the Mongol on a leash. “Stellar work, stellar work! Sit down, please.”
Before Yoji could ask where, two soldiers brought him a chair, which, hesitantly, Yoji followed, removing the spear from his belt, but retaining it lying atop his lap.
“Quite attached to that, wouldn’t you know?” Genghis mocked, “But don’t worry, I won’t ask you to drop it. I know how possessive some of you folk can be with the strangest of stuff.”
“Cut to the chase.” Karofuku intervened
“There’s no need to wait further.” Sadatsuna added, not looking at Genghis, or Yoji. His eyes were always darting somewhere else, like the man had no reflex to actually stare back when having a conversation with someone. “My decision has been cast.”
“Hasty, aren’tcha?” Genghis chuckled, “But I suppose... That’s fair.”
“Your Cursed Technique has been unlocked.” Karofuku completed the vow, surprising Yoji ever so slightly.
“You’re getting promoted.” Genghis warned, “We waited to meet you in person, to see at what position you’d land on precisely. And...”
“General, is best suited.” Sadatsuna now finally glared at Yoji, the young man recoiling, the swordsman’s gaze went entirely unbroken, focused, deadly. In spite of there being no aggression in the moment, Yoji felt like he was, rightfully so, a second away from death.
Yoji now realized that for all the lower levels of organization, the three men were quite comfortable with unveiling just how deliberate some of their promotions were. Yoji attained a level of power that they deemed as acceptable to scratch onto the rank of general, especially when coupled with his technique.
“While yes, you have yet to develop your technique properly.” Karofuku elaborated, “Your display against Bonny was nothing short of miraculous.”
Yoji didn’t bother asking how they came to such a conclusion, how they even knew how the event happened, but he also didn’t dare to speak up.
“Now. As you know, we have an ongoing campaign against Hikage.” Genghis grinned, pulling Wu closer by her hip, the woman chuckling again, “And we’ll be launching a full scale invasion in about a week.”
Yoji didn’t know any of that, but nodded anyway.
“Due to your wounds, you’re excused.” Genghis added, Yoji now well and truly felt compelled to speak, but held himself back. “While I will lure their leader over here, which likely ensues some of his allies being brought with him, it’s a right of yours to retreat.”
Yoji clenched his fists... He could just get exactly what he wanted, couldn’t he? Be excused from battle, appreciate the Triumvirate’s stability in a protected shelter. It was what he joined this organization for, so why...
Why did it feel so wrong?
The weight of those deaths still burdened his shoulders, those soldiers he knew but allowed to die because he didn’t give it his all, because he got comfortable and slotted in with the rest. He didn’t try to show what he really could do, allowed himself to be fostered until the last moment.
Would he really make the same mistake again? At the expense of however many soldiers would die fighting in a war?
“But nevertheless, any details you’ll need to know will be passed on to you one way or the other, so go back and rest, you’re excused... We discuss more once the Hikage Campaign is over-”
“Excuse me!” Yoji shouted, remaining utterly still as he battled against himself, his chest tightened as the eyes of all four of the people before him shot to his countenance, each displaying varying degrees of surprise at the insolence. “I’m not backing down from the war.”
“Oho.” Genghis chuckled, still slightly shocked, but nevertheless, amused.
“Even if I’m wounded... I’m not sure if it’s my ego... Or if I’m just outraged.” Yoji shot up from his seat, slamming the blunt end of his spear against the ground, shoulders held high, his gaze meeting Genghis’ own without hesitation. “But right now everything inside me is yelling that this just wasn’t enough, that I can still do more! I don’t care about the damage I’ve taken, I can still fight!”
“And kill yourself in the process?” Karofuku asked, unmoved, “You’ll be completely worthless like that.”
“If there’s something I’m sure of.” Yoji shot back, “Is that there isn’t a cell in my body that isn’t screaming at me that I’m not satisfied. That this isn’t enough, that I can do more. So I say this in advance, but I’m sorry, I’ll be in that field, I’ll fight once again, with approval or not!”
Yoji immediately collapsed into his seat, feeling the weight of his own words befall him with only the calm, unbothered looks of the three men. Like all three of them, with those silent looks, told him that he had all but forgotten his position.
All three of them had recently made excursions to enemy territory, each ensuring their organization was not to be taken lightly. Karofuku eliminated the Immortal Guild in its entirety, Sadatsuna completed the dissolution of the Phantom Parade’s core and Genghis challenged Hikage to a full scale war, even capturing the sister of the colony’s leader.
And who was he? With one touch, all three of them could kill him. His tirade was grounds for execution, a surprisingly rare occurrence, but Yoji had all but summoned it, such insubordination was ridiculous even under the most lax of leaderships.
They didn’t even give him the grace of taking him seriously.
“Proceed.”
A single word, uttered by Sadatsuna, still, unemotional, utterly removed from the situation, but nevertheless offering an olive branch. Yoji’s breath grew weaker, his chest tightening along with his grip on his spear, as if he could do anything if any of them ever decided to kill him.
Yoji didn’t know what this meant. Was he supposed to keep running his mouth? Was this an authorization to enter the war once it began? No matter what, even that gesture of kindness felt violent, like a punch to the gut from Anne herself had been reeled back at him with a simple look.
“Huh, you heard the man.” Genghis grinned, raising a brow, “What the hell, you’re in.”
“So assisted suicide.” Karofuku replied, unmoved. “This better not become a habit.”
Nevertheless, Sadatsuna’s motive was never actually elaborated on. Yoji was excused with a wag of Genghis’ hand, so nonchalant he could barely be bothered to even give out any further words, as he returned to snuggling on Wu’s neck
“What the hell was that, Ashiya?” Genghis asked, his voice low, head still buried as the woman wrapped her arms around his head.
“The chemistry of sorcery... Isn’t supposed to be hampered by wounds or healing.” Sadatsuna uttered, “It’s a precipitated decision... To consider his wellbeing.”
“Assisted suicide.” Karofuku emphasized, “I’m annoyed you let him off, that’s all.”
“I believe he learned a lesson valuable enough...” Sadatsuna replied, “He prostrated himself without demand.”
“Jolly mood, aren’t ya?” Genghis asked
“To the contrary.” Sadatsuna replied, grabbing the handle of his katana more harshly than before. “I failed to eliminate all of the opposition. A handful survived. Perhaps too large.”
“You sent a message, that’s enough.” Genghis replied, “I didn’t even kill anyone but they got the gist.”
“Speaking of the lure.” Karofuku interjected, “Has it worked?”
“If she spilled it?” Genghis asked, “No, it’s infuriating! I thought she’d have sent a crow by now but not quite! Guess we’ll ask Hikage to send one himself and hope the brat doesn’t catch the ploy.”
“She’s willing to take the fall entirely, honorable.” Karofuku crossed his arms
“However, not to the degree that it helps us.” Genghis persisted. “Still... It’s simple, really, drag the kid over here, and you two have your fun in the colony.”
“Sacrificing your own enjoyment?” Sadatsuna asked
“I’m not sacrificing anything, my friend.” Genghis uttered, “Me and Wu will have our fun alright, that Hikage kid... He ticked me off, if you will.”
“It’s still absurd you believe this woman can be in the front lines.” Karofuku uttered
“If I were you, I’d respect my woman.” Genghis replied, “Right, my dear?”
“Fuh... Don’t be mean to your friends, Genghis...” Wu uttered, delivering a kiss to his temple, “You make up for them more than well enough.”
Culling Game Player: Wu Zetian
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Ever since hitting that Black Flash, Kokichi has been feeling strange. Even after regenerating his wounds, and accounting for the muscular pain from general overexertion, something else was afoot.
If he were to akin it to something, it would be a stomachache, but he could very well just be hungry for once in his life so he didn't linger too much on any concerns, even running a quick scan warned him that just like last time, there was zero foreign DNA within his system.
“Why the long face?” Yoshiko asked, one of her arms limp for Hazama to bandage properly.
“Pretty hungry is all...” Kokichi replied, leaning back on the bed he picked to sit in. The mount of display pillows comforted him further. “Do we have anything?”
“At a furniture store?” Hazama cackled, “But that's quite alright, once I finish bandaging your mother we'll go find something.”
“Brother, you are quite good with the sword.” Yasuhiro commended, finally speaking out, finding the opportunity to throw out the compliment. “For someone so... Inexperienced.”
“I just happen to have a role model.” Kokichi shrugged, and he saw Hazama’s eyes brighten, slightly watering at the words, and seeing the expression, he chose to not elaborate that he meant Kasumi.
“This is kinda harsh to ask you kids... But did you kill the people you were fighting? Intentionally, I mean.” Yoshiko asked, her expression growingly slightly somber
“I destroyed the forces of evil in the name of justice⋆｡°✩!” Umi proclaimed, raising a peace sign over one of her eyes. “But... I... Yeah.”
“We had to.” Yasuhiro crossed his arms. “Our foes weren’t easy to handle, and to put it bluntly... Death is respect.”
“I suppose it’s inevitable...” Yoshiko uttered, while Hazama rubbed her shoulder in consolation.
“They would have to eventually, my dear.” Hazama replied, “We can’t protect them forever... We already couldn’t.”
Kokichi would say something, but didn’t manage to blurt a word out. A part of him wanted to be sincere; He killed many people. In one night he murdered Hibiki Shuho and Himiko Haraki without a second thought, and would have killed more should he find it necessary.
And until now... He didn’t really feel guilty about it. He had to kill people, it was a necessary step for the completion of his objectives. And besides, could they really entrap someone like Kenjaku? Or Sukuna? It was an unrealistic pipe dream and otherwise, such as placing them within the Prison Realm, not entirely out of his plans, however for an indefinite amount of time, was just plain cruel.
He had an idea of how to temporarily dispose of Sukuna in a non-lethal manner, but that wasn’t out of a moral crusade, it was simply because he didn’t yet have the firepower to handle that monster.
But even when considering the death of his opponents a necessity, Kokichi began to feel weight over his past actions. He was, for all intents and purposes, puppetting the corpse of a man he took over. No second chances, no other possibilities... Just gone. Hibiki Shuho was as good as dead, his flesh re-fashioned into those of someone else, until he was indistinguishable from the original.
As much as he was logically opposed to the idea, Kokichi warmed up to his morals, he warmed up to the idea that he would, well and truly, attempt to not kill his next opponents, even if it was for something so silly as not wanting to displease his mother.
And before he could begin to speak, to apologize for past actions others weren’t here to see, Kokichi’s stomachache grew to a peak, replaced by searing pain, and the kimono he was wearing burst open with a tumorous arm stemming from the skin of his chest.
Kokichi would shout, but the arm clamped around his face, all four of his family members leaping out of their seats and grabbing their weapons, as another arm spawned, and thus, with a cascade of blood and viscera, birthing itself once again, concealed inside Kokichi’s own DNA and likewise wearing his very countenance, he reappeared.
“KOKICHI!”
Culling Game Player: Kurogami Muta