✾ Domain Expansion: Hell Prism

Hell Prism is something the Shikabane more or less used against other people, namely their own family members, as a means of exerting power over them and expanding influence. Though, that wasn’t what it started out as, its primary use meant to specifically obliterate curses (not really too different from any other DE). The Shikabane were exceedingly proud of it, those capable of using it finely honing it over the centuries until it steadily became what it is now, as Kaede wields it.

It’s characterized by a surrealist, kaleidoscopic manifestation of a colloquial hell. The visuals are psychedellically haunting and seamlessly endless, a thousand vile, burning mirrors showing his targets the many ways he can kill them - and which one is real. It allows the user to effectively trap, torture, maim, and kill a target at their leisure within its bounds, while at the same time leeching their cursed energy and eating away at the body and soul. This may, at times, double-function as a psychological prison, given his ability to illusorily kill his target in an infinite number of ways to break them down psychologically, if he so chooses. As in, he can really kill you, or he can fuck with your head - you’re not really going to know what’s actually happening until you draw your last breath or his domain is broken.

The problem with Hell Prism, however, is that it requires immense cursed energy to use it, more than Kaede readily possesses, so the use of Blood Sacrifice almost always precludes it (think of Blood Sacrifice as a trade of sorts; he offers any amount of his own blood or someone else’s, containing cursed energy, in exchange for a sort of…overclocking; it’s essentially a power-buff-at-cost-of-max-health). But once Hell Prism is cast, despite it’s incredible strength, it has a few limitations. Such being that it can only take in an individual-small group of targets at a time, despite the push toward large-scale use by Kaede. The trade-offs are usually too high to justify using it too often, given that, whether Kaede uses his own blood or someone else’s, a small piece of himself is sacrificed regardless, per his agreement with the inugami. Moreover, the ‘cool down’ time following his use of it? Bonkers. It used to be a few weeks to a month that he couldn’t use it again - just too taxing on the body and soul - but he was able to whittle it down to a week. So he has to be extremely careful and choosy when he uses it, or risk losing his trump card for too fucking long. Perhaps someday, this bullshit 'cool down’ time will be reduced even further, to maybe just a day between uses.

Although, he’ll be in pretty big trouble if he uses it too frequently, since every use eats away at his soul like acid. Beyond that, though, he does go on to perform both large-scale uses of Hell Prism, managing to completely wipe both Inunaki Village and the Shikabane estate off the map (every curse he came across suffered dearly, tbh, especially the one that slaughtered the rest of his family).

[X] " What even are daddy issues? Just traumatize your father back." Masoko to Kaede >:3C

unhinged comedic relief

"Traumatizing him is exactly what got me into this mess, Macchan, it's not going to work. Haven't I told you enough times? Kurai'll just beat the shit out of me and have me detained at the estate on principle and call it a day - don't tell Adrian about that, if you value our friendship. I don't need his already wracked nerves even more wracked than they already are. He'd just get worried and be even weirder around me. I want him to like me, not worry about me to the point we take fifteen steps back - like how things used to be. Also, your advice sucks and I'm not getting jumped by not only my dad, but Aoi and the rest too. I can be damn near special-grade all day long - it doesn't matter, if there's twenty first and seconds trying to beat me within an inch of my life, so... no thanks."

"By the way, does Adrian like chocolate? I have some chocolate oranges on the way, and I figure..."

some tags, without context (just doing things before i forget)

❝ i love being inside you. ❞ / @divinezenin

"Naoya! Did you forget where we are?!" He'd have screamed, if it could be considered appropriate, but the rest of the Zen'in clan were around - within barely a few meters of them. Doing so would've called what felt like hundreds of heads to swivel on their necks and look directly at them, like they'd know beyond a shadow of a doubt exactly what Naoya was saying, exactly how hotly he was whispering it against the shell of Kaede's ear. Warm breath, a teasing graze of his lips--

He elbowed him in the stomach, but he couldn't exactly call it a reflex, actively making the choice. Now was not the time for their usual shenanigans! Now was the time to bow their heads and listen to whatever Naoya's old man had to say, nod politely, bow, and observe proper manners and family customs. Nice as it was to have him inside of him, punding away at sensitive nerves, they had secrets to keep! A whole family to lie to! What if someone overheard? What if someone saw how close Naoya was to him, breathing in his ear? What if, what if, what if--

"Stop it," Kaede huffed, no, demanded, begging Naoya to shut the fuck up until they were dismissed from this stupid assembly. He could tell him all about how much he liked being inside him when he was inside him, in the safe privacy of his bedroom where the maids and other family members couldn't find them. Naoya could be as filthy as he wanted to be then, but only then. No exceptions. Hmph!

@divinezenin

😒😒😒 he a cool guy , but yehh . . . whatever

He sighed, exasperated and possibly entirely defeated. This might've been cute if he'd been protective of him instead of jealous over Toji, but alas - now it was just annoying. "I cannot believe you're jealous of your cousin - who I demonstrably have no interest in because I'm in love with you and we're supposed to get married and love-hate each other for the rest of our lives, but noooo, you just have to be like this--"

-kisses kaede's cheek-

"Eh? Ara, Nao-chan... You're being gentle with me today. A-are you broken? Did something happen? Are you-are you overworked? Are you sick? Shouldn't you be upset someone confessed to me today?" He's not compaining, make no mistake, but there were times Naoya still made him completely and utterly nervous. The same stupid questions would just fall out of his face on reflex, he might even wince, and, surprisingly, for all their fighting, it wasn't even Naoya's fault. Ultimately, he leaned into him in spite of himself, sliding a hand into the opening of Naoya's kimono and nestling his head into the crux of his neck before he could weasel away.

Pressing the softest of kisses into the slope of his jaw, Kaede wrapped his other arm around Naoya's waist, embracing him in some little way. He was so warm under his kimono, muscular, strong- He wanted to curl right up in his lap and snuggle into him, call it a day and rest a while - they had the time, it wasn't like anyone was going to walk in on them either. He brushed his nose against Naoya's throat, humming softly. "I'm sorry." Pulled his hand free of Naoya's kimono and reached upward, curling around his nape. "You caught me a little off guard." Pressed another kiss to his jaw. "Sorry, sorry." And another, and another.

“Maybe I’ll let you sit on my cock until I can’t come anymore. Does that sound good?”

something depraved

Actually, yes.

The idea alone made Kaede tremble in Naoya's lap, fingertips fluttering over the little bulge in his belly, so much of him so close to a breaking point. He couldn't stop himself from leaning into the yank to his hair, couldn't prevent the desperate undulations of his hips to suck him in deeper, or the needy sigh escaping him now. It was too much, to be held here, the hand on his hip keeping him anchored, full, with only enough room for Naoya to move if he so pleased. It was killing him. Feeling his cock so deep inside, slowly prodding against his already overstimulated prostate, vision blurred by tears and colors he couldn't name, toes curling, heart hammering in his chest - all made worse by the sticky white oozing out of him with every tiny little push in and out of him.

Happily, so happily, he'd sit there in Naoya's lap as if it were exactly where he belonged, panting, moaning, crying out the closer he got to the edge. Each time he moved drug sharp, immeasurable shockwaves to the surface, jolting through his every nerve and down his spine. He couldn't come up with anything coherent to say, but Naoya would know exactly what to do from here, pulling him forward by his hair and kissing him with messy, hungry fervor. So greedy, gripping Kaede's hip and digging his nails in as he slowly slid himself out and thrust back inside in one swoop, biting his lips, his tongue, tasting and devouring-- And Kaede could only whimper and sob into his mouth, wrapping his arms around Naoya and holding onto him for dear life. Again and again and again, never once able to properly cry out, the alluringly filthy sound of cum leaking out of him making him flush and tremble, moan and ache. So close, desperate to be filled with more.

When Naoya broke the kiss to gnaw at his jaw, his cheek, his neck, Kaede let out a shuddering cry, balls tightening, all the tension in his body shaking him to his very core, eyes screwing shut; A tremor rocked through him, and he came, letting out breathless, loud exclamations of Naoya's name, digging his nails into his skin and leaving a trail of almost-agonizing marks behind. Too much even to just do this, taken utterly by a golden gaze staring up at him, movement temporarily stalled but no doubt soon to start up again... Kaede's chest heaved, and there was something so electric and hot between them, something he wanted more of with Naoya while they still had the chance. But his hips were starting to hurt in this position, and they'd done it like this twice already... Couldn't they switch it up a bit?

"N-Naoya, could we...do it a different way? Please?" he huffed, exhausted, still quivering in Naoya's lap. He hadn't cum again just yet, surely this same position wouldn't get him off so many times in a row? Surely, doing something different ought to make him cum right away, fill him up with it entirely-- It was hard not to drool again, hard not to sink into Naoya again. "W-we could lie down...do it from the side. J-just differently, please, haa- You'll be able to go deeper, no, no wait, what are you doing- Naoya...!"

❛ be good, and i'll fuck you ❜

smutty starters

"Wh-who taught you to speak like that--"

Naoya-chan was getting a little too big for his britches, saying things like that. Even if his head was nestled between Kaede's thighs, there was no way he'd let him talk to him like that.

Under normal circumstances, anyway. But Kaede didn't exactly have any pants on, exposed and chilly in the cold night air stagnant in Naoya's room. Cold like...like he never used it, which meant he rarely got any sleep. The Shikabane shuffled that away for later, face nestled into a pillow, spine arched downward, ass up as if in wait. Though he chewed on expensive cotton and squirmed like no other, there was nothing like the sensation of Naoya's rough ringertips steadily easing over a sensitive, tight ring of muscle. Gentle at first, uncharacteristically so - still fumbling with the newness of him, his sex, how snugly he was wrapped around larger, thicker fingers. Kaede couldn't do anything more than blush and groan into the pillow he buried his face into, spine arched so far downward he was worried whether he'd make it out of Naoya's room without any significant back pain, or at all.

He hadn't looked at his c-- Happily busying himself with counting the threads in a pillowcase, hips shuddering in response to the Zen'in's slow push, push, push inside him to stretch him out, fingertips edging along until at last clumsily finding and pressing on a particular spot he wouldn't dare name. His knees shook and his eyes went wide, lips going numb from how hard he'd bitten them, those same fingers pumping in and out of him slowly, as if to tease, as if Naoya enjoyed the desperate, stupid falter of Kaede's gasp or moan. Scarred hands fluttered to cheek fat, spreading and holding himself open for Naoya, but it was hard, feeling the light scrape of his fingers inside him, oversensitive to pain, pressure, and--

But trying to help seemed to incite the Zen'in - he wasn't being so gentle now, adding another finger, picking up a rougher pace. And he hated that it felt...really good. He tried so hard to keep quiet, gnawing into his lower lip until it bruised, desperate to stifle a strangled moan. To top it off, Naoya'd gathered his wrists, pried his hands from his hips and restrained them tightly. Worse, worse, worse, he was breathless, quivering and wincing and failing at keeping himself quiet. Naoya's fingers pressed into and rolled over that spot and his hips jerked, all his senses overwhelmed. He felt so easy, in the moment, pathetic. Had it really been so long since he'd last been touched like this? So hot, so dizzy, amplified by the addition of still-sore bite marks and handprints.

"N-Naoya, I think I'm ready, please--" he gasped airily, panting , struggling against his grip. His fingers spread Kaede apart, forceful in their effort. What was the goal here? To make him cum first? He was already so close to that line, with every swipe, every scrape against that spot. Somewhere inside him, he could feel something too hot twist in his gut, hips angling themselves to meet Naoya's hand in full, chasing that sensation. His head spun and his body ached, and he surrendered to the sudden excessive attention to what made him the most sensitive, simultaneously hating and going wild for it. Just in time for him to buck his hips and freeze as a shudder of agonized pleasure jolted through him, leaking length pulsing with intensity.

It was too much for him. He couldn't hold out, groaning achefully into Naoya's pillow. Kaede wasn't sure if doing nothing and just letting him do this counted as good behavior, but it was enough to leave him a bit of a frazzled mess. Kept him over sensitive, and when Naoya slowly pulled his fingers out of him, he could feel his knees begging to give out, raw and open where he needed to be. Why did it.. feel so good?

"Haa... N-Nao-chan," he stammered, tilting himself sideways just a smidge so he could look up at him, an almost-pathetic plea in his eyes. Maybe he was too ready now. "Please, just- Put it in already!"

is that my hoodie? - kaede

"No, it's my hoodie."

Kaede wasn't interested in returning the oversized wrap of blue fabric, so it had, effectively, become his, bunched up sleeves, wrinkled hood pulled over his head, and all. It was comfortable and smelled strongly of Naoya's irritating cologne, maybe a bit of his sweat too...and, in a sense, it was comforting to be surrounded by it. He pulled his knees up to his chest on the edge of the bed and stuffed them into the hoodie, wrapping his arms around his shins - preparing himself for an attempt at Naoya trying to take it back.

"Just because it smells like you doesn't mean anything. It's mine, fair and square," he huffed, glaring up at the Zen'in in defiance. He bit his lip, then, wrinkled his nose, watching closely in anticipation of any moves. Naoya's expression made him uncomfortable, somewhere between a smug grin and an irritable glower, but he was insistent, digging his nails into the cotton. "Back off. Seriously."

At some point, Naoya was just going to have to learn to live with the fact Kaede might occasionally steal his clothes, sleep in them, and breathe in his scent every chance he reasonably could, because there simple way no way in hell he'd ever get any of it back. Kaede loved him, in all the fucked up ways he was able to, and, sometimes, there was nothing more comforting or grounding than his scent when they couldn't be together.

"Get over it."

"All I am guilty of is surviving, and for that, I will not apologize." [ Kaede :3 ]

He glared at her for some time. Not without much to say, rather rendered too irritated to speak his mind properly. Everything about her pissed him off, from the way she talked and thought about everything she'd faced, with him or not, to how up her own ass she seemed to be. Playing with her own life, ignoring others, did she even care about herself? The people subject to the same curses they fought each day, powerless without them? He hated that, that coldness about her. So matter-of-fact that she was the most important person, her life came first--

So contrarian in his frustration, position as the oh-so dutiful dog-on-a-leash he was glaringly obvious in his thought processes, even to him. A certain hypocrisy, where the pendulum swung the other way. Too willing to throw his own life away in sacrifice for anyone but himself, and maybe, in truth, that was why he couldn't open his mouth. It's not that he didn't understand, or didn't sympathize, rather that he couldn't do the same, that the collar around his neck was really made of his own hands. Differences in opinion born of different responses to similar pains, one of a more decisive urge to survive where the other would be fine without. He took on responsibilities that weren't his and had been forced to endure it, stronger than all in his family yet ever at their mercy because unlike them, family meant something to him. It meant everything. It was all he had. He knew less about her, however, but he knew it had to have been similar, if only a little different.

Why he couldn't let it go, falling all over himself in his head in the worst way, was beyond him, however. Mulling it over and over and never coming up with anything new, just irritation, a twitch to his fingers and a grind of his teeth. Was it the assumption he demanded an apology of her? That he assumed he'd been owed something? No, no, it wasn't even about him. They were fundementally the same in all different ways, too many dots connected proving so no matter what exactly he thought in the moment, because he'd have given anything to live for himself and his motivations, not for anyone else. To live, and to die, for no one else but himself, without apology.

Was it irony? Circular logic throwing him for an idiotic loop?

He wrinkled his nose, arms crossed tightly over his chest; He didn't look at her then, drawing his gaze away and crossing his legs at the ankle.

Making mountains out of molehills, burying himself in petty envy.

"Dunno what you want me to say to you. No one told you to apologize and no one cares anyway. Apologies are meaningless. It's what you do with yourself that matters. How you live, how you treat other people, how you treat yourself," and maybe that was the best he could do, the best comfort, argument, amicably put line he could drop. "If given the chance, I wouldn't have lived my life this way." She'd take that wrong. "That is, not perpetually deadlocked in a broken sense of duty. Dead altogether, more like."

No one could use me again that way. No one could hurt me either. Maybe I'd feel differently if I cared enough about power, or myself... if I had the same drive to survive she does.

[ touch ] A gentle brush of her hand against the back of his [ Kaede ]

soft touches

He'd pretended not to notice, but he very much felt her knuckles against his own, his focus incrementally changing until all it could be set upon was that. Only that small, possibly meaningless touch. Cold, but warm in ways he couldn't describe and it was sharp, too, as if a burn. He couldn't be sure if that was due to having butted heads so frequently, some flavor of denial, or some foolish idea it could ever be affection. There's no way she could've had a change of heart about him, thought him enough less annoying that maybe she could tolerate him, even deign to like him. Dangerous, but he preferred it to the alternative.

He was getting tired of all the other shit between them; Something that didn't hurt for once, that didn't sting nor bury deep under the skin, was only topical for the moment and mere, so easily a misunderstanding he may well as not have thought on it at all-- But Kaede didn't recoil, he let whatever it was happen, however insignificant. Tired, indeed. The inclination to look at her crossed him, but he couldn't let on that he was receptive to this; What if it was, in fact, nothing and he was only thinking too hard about it? Seeing something that wasn't. Maybe, maybe... So he made no moves - a move in itself, for better or worse - and tried like hell to divert his attention, failing miserably.

But when the cross light blinked, signaling their time to walk across the road, pointless as it was to await it on an empty street in a boring part of town - he saw an opportunity, deciding to, against his better judgment, make a move after all. Perhaps carelessly, potentially incurring her wrath or another shredding of his arm, he slipped his hand into hers and pulled her along. He made bad decisions all the time, what was one more? He always was a glutton for punishment anyway.

"Come on. Got stuff to do," he rasped, hiding whatever weirdness he was feeling under as many layers of stoicism as he could realistically manage. An excuse, really, that he'd given himself, heart thumping in his chest. Oh, maybe she'd do nothing or simply pull her hand away and there'd be nothing to come of it. On the other hand, maybe she'd be okay with it in the end. He was betting on getting flayed, though. IT'd be fine-- Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

...Since when did he live by that rule? Ah, oh well.

-pulls a stray of his hair - oi ! give me attention , stop ignoring me . -kae

"Unless we're having sex, don't pull my hair," Kaede snapped, smacking Naoya's hand away and quickly smoothing out his hair, huffing the while. If Naoya wanted attention, he could've simply asked - he didn't need to yank on his hair! He hadn't actually been ignoring him anyway, just busying himself in the quiet, signing reports and finishing half-written letters. Easy tasks, busywork, just getting it done while he had the time.

He turned his head, looking over and up at the Zen'in, wrinkling his nose.

"You want attention?" he asked, though it was less a question and more a statement. He didn't really deserve it if he was going to be an ass, but fine, fine, and only because he was bored, in truth. Hmph! "You're such a pain."

And he turned his body to face Naoya properly, legs over the side of his chair, fingertips fluttering over his knee. Brows furrowed, lips drawn into a scowl, but that would change - it always did. Naoya could be an ass, but there was something within him that only Kaede could see.

"But I love you anyway."

starter / @rake-rake

It was hot - humid and uncomfortable. Temperatures had soared into triple digits, intensified by a sky without a single cloud floating in the blue, the sun bearing down on any and all caught in its light. Cicadas chirped endlessly, unseen but not unheard, and for a time, Kaede dropped his facade, palming away the sweat on his forehead and heaving a weary sigh. Even the most frigid of winter blizzards would be preferable to this, naturally high body heat compounding with the summer, dizzying and even a little disorienting - not even dappled shade provided good enough reprieve. A shame, too; All the work he'd aimed to put into reworking his footwork would have to be put on pause for now, lest he overheat and collapse.

Sheathing his katana, he ambled miserably out of the shade, making his way across dirt and pavement alike in order to get inside the school and out of the oppressive heat. It was hard, to know what to do with his down time when he had any, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that spending it in the sun was not the way. No, he'd much rather make the trek to the bubble tea shop in town - at least then there'd be something cold and refreshing by the end of it. Maybe he could offer to buy some for Yaga, Gojo, and the students, give himself the excuse. Of course, if he scrambled up to Yaga's office, there might be orders waiting for him, so on second thought-- Maybe just Gojo and the students. Excuse enough, right?

He set out to find them, fingers idly pulling at silk and nylon to make room for some flow of cooling air, to no avail, weaving down long hallways until at last he ran into the sorcerer and his gaggle of students. Yammering on about a movie, Jennifer Lawrence, and the oddities of some curses or some such....thing. He almost felt bad for interrupting - they all seemed to be having a good time. How rare, in this life. Oh well.

"Ara, Gojo-senpai--" he piped up, glancing between them each and all until his gaze came to meet the one he couldn't readily see. "Gonna make a run for boba. It's hot today, so - do you or your students want anything?"

wanna go to a spa day ? . kae

Naoya's question came while Kaede's been brushing through the lengths of his hair, temporarily interrupting his work-through on a surprisingly painful knot. What reason did he have to invite him some place this time? As far as he knew, there were no holidays, nothing romantic to mark the occasion, nothing to spark this...offer, of time together. Was he apologizing for something he'd done? Well, what did he do? Did he really just want to spend some time with him?

He narrowed his eyes and looked at him with caution, bracing himself to tear through the knot. His cousin ran a hot spring on the north end of town, tucked away in bamboo forestry and traditional architecture - a bit far on foot, but worth the walk. Unless...he wanted to go to a salon, instead. Massages, nail technicians, manicures and pedicures - that sort of spa? Mud baths and waxing? Kaede rather liked the sound of that, actually; He usually went at least once a month anyway, when time could be afforded. Suspicious as it was, he supposed he couldn't turn Naoya down - a bit too tempting.

"Are you asking me on a date, Nao-chan?" he asked coyly, tearing through the knots in his hair and brushing through the rest until it was smooth, easy enough to run his fingers through it. Then, a little smile. "To a spa, no less. Who are you and what have you done with my Naoya? - Yes, I'll go with you."

why you keep flirting with toji ? i know he handsome but stop it 😒

"This, coming from the guy I literally can't stop touching, groping, kissing, shoving into alcoves and hidden rooms to makeout with and have sex with, exclusively-- You're jealous! And trying to make it my problem- Stop! I didn't do anything with Toji-dono, I'm not into Toji-dono, he smells funny and has a fat worm he carries on his back and that's fucking weird, how could I ever--" He was very close to blowing a few gaskets, red as a tomato and disgruntled all to hell. Did now really think he was flirting with Fushiguro...? Reflexive hyper-defensiveness would suggest it didn't exactly matter. "Do you honestly think I'd fuck my way through the Zen'in clan? When the only one of you assholes I want is you? Ever? At all? Do I have to prove it? How-- On my knees? B-bent over? Naoya-chan, I--"

-grabs kaede and kiss his cheek ..- when are you taking me out for dinner?

"Never."