"Ugh, what kind of dream was that?"
Jin looked around the room. His eyes moved from one side of the room to the other as he took in his surroundings. It seemed like a hospital ward, but he was sure he was still in the mansion. He had no idea what had happened while he was asleep.
The last thing he remembered was passing out on Jean's bed after she had drained him dry.
Literally.
Meanwhile, at the professor's office, Hank stood at the side of the room as the professor turned to him.
"He's up?" the professor asked.
"Yes. He doesn't look ill or anything, just a bit disoriented."
Hank's gaze remained toward the door as he answered, his expression calm but attentive.
"Okay, let's go see him."
He turned to leave, then stopped and looked at Jean.
"Jean, you stay here."
Jean, who had just gotten up to follow them, was caught off guard. She froze in place for a moment, looking between the professor and Hank.
"Ah, but I—" she stammered.
"With how your feelings are all over the place right now, you might do something you don't mean to. We know you're worried, but he's fine. So wait."
Jean shrank back, swallowing whatever she'd been about to say, and sat back down, dejected. Her shoulders dropped as she leaned back into the chair, her gaze falling toward the floor.
The professor and Hank headed to the lab. When they walked in, they found Jin sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, muttering to himself. His elbows rested against his knees while his fingers pressed against his forehead, completely lost in his own thoughts. He didn't notice them come in.
Professor Xavier turned to Hank first.
"I thought you said he was fine."
Hank, who'd been watching Jin, turned to the professor, his expression tightening.
"My apologies, Professor. I based that on his physical condition. His brain activity's too abnormal—I can't get a read on anything."
"Well, he certainly doesn't look fine."
This time, Jin noticed them. His head lifted, and his eyes shifted toward the two men standing nearby. He got off the bed, still looking somewhat confused about what was going on.
But the moment he stepped onto the floor, the ground caved in beneath him, forming a mini crater.
Jin froze.
His eyes widened as he stared down at the floor beneath his foot.
Surprised, Jin stepped back hurriedly, only for several small craters to form beneath his feet as he stumbled backward. He looked down at the damage, then back at his feet, his confusion quickly turning into disbelief.
"What the fuck?" he stuttered.
His eyes darted around the room.
"What happened to me while I was asleep?"
A few minutes later, he was settled back on the bed with the professor and Hank by his bedside. Jin sat stiffly on the mattress, occasionally glancing toward the floor where the craters he'd made were still visible.
"Professor, would you mind telling me why I am here?"
Xavier's expression tightened slightly. He watched Jin for a moment before answering.
"Well, you've been unconscious for three days."
"Three days?"
Jin yelled, his eyes widening.
"What the hell did Jean do to me?" he blurted out.
[Jean Grey is not responsible for your state, Host.]
Jin's expression twitched.
You don't say, he replied inwardly.
This time, Hank spoke.
"We have no understanding of your interaction with young Grey, but to your knowledge, you have been mostly fine, just unresponsive."
Hank kept his eyes on Jin as he spoke, watching his reaction carefully.
"Fuck," Jin muttered.
He rubbed his face, dragging his hand down slowly before letting it fall back into his lap.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Professor, but can I have some time to myself? I've been through a rollercoaster today."
The professor was curious about what Jin meant, but he held his tongue. His eyes lingered on Jin for a moment longer before he finally turned away.
"We'll leave you be, Jin."
"Get well."
"But I'm not ill," Jin muttered.
Jin watched them as they left, his expression slightly confused.
"Right, System?"
He waited for a moment before continuing.
"And where the hell is Gojo? Usually he'd be here being annoying as usual."
[The Host is perfectly fine.]
[The System deemed it necessary to put the two companions in standby mode, considering the Host's current state.]
This time, Jin calmed down. His shoulders relaxed as the tension left his body.
He remembered Jinsei.
His expression slowly changed as the memory surfaced.
He remembered experiencing the Bleach world through Jinsei's body.
System, what was that?
He remained still for a moment, staring ahead as he tried to make sense of what he had experienced.
It felt like a lucid dream.
[The Host will have to find that out himself.]
The system's response came without hesitation.
[The System has no obligation to be your information plug.]
"Arrgh," Jin groaned.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows against his knees as he tried to process everything.
He had been elsewhere for apparently two days, experiencing another's life. Even now, he could still feel the phantom pain at the point where his chest was pierced.
His hand instinctively moved toward his chest, his fingers hovering over the spot before slowly dropping back down.
[The Host should find that out himself.]
"Of course."
Jin stared blankly ahead.
"Of course."
Shaking his head, Jin got up from the bed and walked out of the room. His movements were more careful this time, as though he was suddenly very aware of what his body was capable of.
As he stepped outside, he was met with Jean waiting outside the door.
She had sneaked out of the professor's office to see Jin. She had clearly been waiting for him, and the moment she saw him, some of the tension in her face eased.
Worried about him or the remnant within him, he had no idea, but at that moment the worry on her face spoke volumes.
"Are... are you okay?"
Jin couldn't help but tease her.
"Are you worried about me or the chance that I'd die with the remnant within me?"
At those words, she jerked up like she had been hit by something phantom. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively leaned back against the door, her body stiffening.
"No, no, I'm not. Besides, I've already got all of it."
"The Phoenix said leaving it inside you while you were going through... whatever you were going through wasn't a good idea, so she got it out of you."
Jean's expression remained uneasy as she spoke, her hands shifting slightly as though she wasn't entirely sure how Jin would react.
Jin was confused. Something didn't add up, and he voiced his thoughts.
His brows drew together as he looked at her, going over what she'd just said in his head.
"If she could do that, since, of course, she could do that, why didn't she do it earlier?"
A/N:
Author's Note
Hey Guys,
Bori here.
Yes, changed my username again.
Calling myself Khaos didn't sit well with my parents.
Ahem... anyway, I previously intended to add Jinsei within a few chapters so that you'd understand Jinsei pretty well, but most people would lose interest if what drew them to read disappeared for over 40 chapters.
So it's gonna come in bits by bits all the way till the start of Avengers canon.
Also, I'm currently working on my Patreon page. It's already up, but my other fics are there instead of this one.
Once I get everything set up and have around 10 advanced chapters ready, I'll send the Patreon link here as well.
Thank you for reading! ❤️