CH 77: NEMU
Standing in front of a mirror, Nemu looked at her reflection with a dazed expression on her face.
The seamstresses of the Seireitei were extremely skilled, as such, making clothes that fitted her had been a breeze.
That was why she was in this situation now, facing an image of herself she did not recognize.
Rather than the usual black kimono, she was wearing a colorful blue and gold one, though as short as her usual clothes.
Her usual ponytail had been untied, letting her long and beautiful black hair flow freely behind her.
Even though her face was still devoid of smile, the overall gloomy impression she always gave off had greatly dissipated.
For Nemu, this image of her was something so foreign and alien that for a short moment she had a hard time believing it was really her.
All her life she had always been mistreated and ignored. The greatest amount of warmth she received was being bestowed a name.
Initially, her name was not Nemu Kurotsuchi, but rather, Nanago Nemuri which could be translated as 'Sleeping #7'
The seventh and only success from the experiment known as the Nemuri project. A project which had only one goal, the creation of new souls outside of the cycle of reincarnation.
For her, Mayuri was both her creator and father, and her loyalty for him was unquestionable.
Despite this, the only time she felt really happy was when she was given his name.
At least, that was until now.
The time she had spent with Gojo had been the strangest days of her life.
It was like she was walking in a foggy dream she could not wrap her head around with.
Not only did Gojo not mistreat her, but in fact, he was always very considerate towards her.
At first, she had thought that he must have been a naturally kind person. That she was not particularly special or anything.
But the little time she spent with him made her forget such thoughts.
Even though he was not evil, Gojo could not exactly be called a kind and virtuous man either.
She then wondered if he was interested in her body. But, even though she could see some appreciation in his eyes, she never really saw any great form of lust either.
When she asked him why he was helping her, he answered that it was simply because he wished to study her origin.
But...if it was really the truth, he did not have to treat her so kindly.
The difference in power between the two of them was like a gulf she could not see the end of. Even though his eyes could see many things, simply killing her and studying her body would be far easier.
She could not understand.
Kindness was a concept unknown to her.
True Happiness was a concept unknown to her.
Love, Friendship, Appreciation...every such positive feeling was an equally incomprehensible concept to her.
It was like she was living in another world.
Nowadays, she has had trouble sleeping. Every time she did so, it would be with the fear that she would wake up one day and find that everything had been nothing more than an illusion, just a mere dream.
"Oh? Seems like those girls really did a good job."
Turning around, she could see Gojo leaning against the door of the room he had assigned to her. She still had a hard time calling it her room.
She was at once dazed by the sight, though for a different reason.
She wasn't the only one who had changed clothes.
For the festival, Gojo had opted for a black Haori with a blue hem and blue sleeve. Under it, he wore a completely white top and equally white pants.
Aside from this, he did not wear any blindfold nor glasses as he usually did.
"Oh, that? I just thought it would be a waste if I couldn't see everything this festival had to offer."
Even though his perception had increased, increasing the amount of information he had to process together with it, he also became more skilled.
What's more, now that he had Kogo, he had no particular worry about his eyes. After all, he didn't just heal but completely reconstructed the nerves in his brain. This had the advantages of being far less painful than when he burned and healed his brain cells when he was alive and it was also more thorough.
The only reason he still used protection was that, at the end of the day, pain was still pain and he had no reason to force himself since he still didn't unlock the Neutral mode of Limitless.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Nemu nodded calmly and gave one last look at the mirror before following him outside.
She did not know when it had happened, but following behind him and watching his back gave her a sense of security she never thought she would ever feel.
----
Obon was a pretty simple festival, it was mainly to honor the dead and the ancestors. During the festival, lanterns would be hung in front of houses, dances would be performed, and graves visited.
In the end, floating lanterns would be put into rivers and lakes in order to guide back spirits in their world.
Since this festival only affected the souls in the Rukongai, few if any members of the Seireitei participated. Of course, that was only for the nobles.
The majority of the members of the Gotei 13 would always try to participate as long as they weren't too busy. After all, most of them were from Rukongai, and in a way this festival was related to them.
Walking outside of the Seireitei, Gojo was amazed at how bright everything seemed to look.
The cynical part of him laughed inwardly, since this festival only concerned the first few districts of Rukongai. He doubted that people from districts like the 80th even cared about it.
But this knowledge wasn't enough to dampen his mood. Even when he was alive, atrocities happened every time and everywhere in the world. If he had to stop having fun because of it, he would die in sadness and melancholy.
The streets were filled with sounds of laughter and music. Stalls could be seen in everything, proposing games and food of all kinds.
After stopping at his favorite Dango shop and buying some for him and Nemu, they continued to walk around for a short while.
'Hum?'
Tilting his head, Gojo stopped and looked behind him.
Nemu, who usually walked no farther than a few steps behind him, was still standing in front of a stall.
It was rather surprising since he knew that few things ever interested her.
"Heh, what caught your attention?"
He asked, tracing his steps back and catching up to her, and looked at what the old man was selling.
"Oh!? I didn't think you were interested in jewelry."
"It's the same color as your eyes."
Nemu answered with a small voice as her gaze remained fixated on a particular jewel.
At first glance, it looked like a Lapis-lazuli, but the blue was far more clearer. It was as if looking at the vast sky itself.
Smiling, he asked,
"Do you want it?"
Nemu did not know how to answer. In all her life, she had never once asked anything for herself. The simple reason was that she never had anything she wished for.
It was the first time — the first time that she really desired something.
"I…"
She opened her mouth with difficulty. Her throat felt dry as if a lump was stopping her from voicing her thoughts.
She was afraid, afraid that the first thing she ever wished for would be refused.
Still, she gripped the hem of her skirt and murmured in a voice so small it was barely audible,
"I really want it."
She immediately closed her eyes in reflex. As if expecting to receive a hit. But all she felt was a warm hand at the top of her head,
"See, it wasn't that hard, was it?"
The gentle but mischievous smile on his face under the moonlight was something she would never forget.
(AN: *Ahem* Any correlations or similarities to one scene of one of the most beautiful anime either made is nothing more than a coincidence. I certainly did not copy the first scene of Violet ever *Cough* Don't mind me. But seriously though, Violet and Nemu share many similarities. I really want to make Gojo the Major Gilbert of Nemu. By the way, big spoilers. Major Gilbert isn't dead a nd he married Violet. Which is honestly quite disturbing when you remember how old she really was. Then again we had a whole episode with a teen princess sharing love letters with a middle aged prince. So well...*Ahem*)