Destined to Collide - Inumaki Toge

26. Nullify

Panicking, she stumbled backwards. Her leg got caught in the infirmary's bedside chair and almost stumbled were it not for Inumaki's quick move to wrap his arms around her waist to hold her up.

She felt the hard muscles of his arms holding her up, and Maguro was reminded of the image she has seen in Inumaki's mind – it was just like what he had imagined holding her in his arms like.

Feeling him so close to her, her heart pounded even harder while she continues to struggle breathing. And when she does, Inumaki's scent bombarded her thoughts.

His scent always had that sort of smell that sends her heart racing whenever she happened to be near him, and that instantly transformed her legs to become jelly and collapses in his arms.

And that alarmed Inumaki.

"Maguro! Are you okay?!" Inumaki called out in his thought, worried when she stumbled earlier, and worried still when she seemed to struggle breathing. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her towards one of the empty infirmary beds and sets her sitting on it while holding her upright.

"Tuna? Tuna!" (Maguro? Maguro!) Inumaki repeated anxiously, rubbing her back as she slowly started to breathe a little.

"I-I'm alright," Maguro stuttered, patting his shoulder and holding on to him for balance. "Just a bit dizzy. Sorry, I was just nervous. My heart was beating too fast just now. I'm sorry, I lost a little control over my abilities, and I saw what was in your mind. I didn't mean to pry, Inumaki-kun."

"Takana. Tuna, tuna," (It's alright. That's what I wanted to show you,) Inumaki said to her, fingers lifting up her chin gently to make her look at him. "I wanted you to see that."

Maguro's eyes widened.

"Inumaki-kun, I..." Maguro blushes furiously. His face was so close to hers right now. He is literally professing his affection to her. The image of his imagination – of how she looked like in his perception, of how inviting her lips seems to him, and of how hard he kisses her.

She could literally feel his lips on hers in his mind.

Being so close to her, Maguro could only stare at him and stutter, "I-I...I..."

She bit her lips. It was then she realizes words failed her whenever Inumaki gets too close. She wished she could show him what she feels instead of her having to tell him something so embarrassing. She wanted him to know too, but to tell it to him while he is staring at her is just...too much.

Too embarrassing. She has never done this before in her whole life.

This is taking a toll on her beating heart. Her heart can only beat so fast before it felt like bursting.

But Inumaki mistaken her hesitation as rejection.

That she didn't feel the same way as he does to her.

Looking down, he lets go of her slowly and said in a small voice, "Takana." (It's alright if you don't feel the same-)

Maguro shakes her head. No. No, no, no.

Not that.

She feels the same. He needs to know.

Fuck embarrassment. Fuck decorum.

He needs to know now.

"No! No, no, Inumaki-kun, I do feel the same!" she said quickly, her hands reaching out to grab the hem of his shirt tightly and pulled him back to her. "I-I mean, I...well, I like you too. No, not as a friend Inumaki-kun! Don't think that way! I like you! Really! The way you like me too. Yes! I like you the way you like me. I didn't know we felt the same way all these times. I am just surprised that you wanted to kiss me, is all. Really."

Inumaki's eyes widened.

She...she feels the same? Too?

It was now then he wished he could just speak like a normal person.

Oh, wait, he thought to himself. Maguro's abilities... She can Nullify.

"Nullify me," Inumaki voiced out to her in his thoughts, gripping her hand tightly in his. "Nullify me, Maguro."

Maguro blinked. "What?"

"I meant what I said," he told her determinedly. It might be dangerous for a jujutsu sorcerer to not have his powers on hand at all times, more so for a Cursed Speech User like him. But the situation right now requires him to be able to speak freely.

He needs this.

He needed her to hear his words as it is when he confesses to her, not just read his thoughts.

"Nullify me. Just for a while," he repeated as he looked into her eyes, hoping that she could see just how much he needs this. "Just for a while, Maguro."

To be able to tell her how much he adores her with his own voice, without the restriction of the Snake and Fang seal.

Without doubt and without fear.

There was a sort of pleading look in his eyes when he looked up at her. He was waiting for her to say no. He was bracing himself for her answers.

But still, he really wanted her to Nullify him.

Maguro just looked down at him from where she is sitting on the Infirmary bed. She smiled a little to herself, thinking, how could she possibly deny him his request?

"Alright," Maguro said softly, lifting one hand and touching his face gently before softly murmuring the words that invalidate his power of words against anything he speaks.

"Mukou-ka."

*Mukou-ka means Nullify from Google Translate.