Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

10:32 AM

Saturday

The sun shines brightly over the clear morning sky and the light penetrates the thick glass window of the apartment. Utahime groans, turning her body to another side, head comfortably laying on the soft pillow when she feels a pang on her back and a growing headache.

Ow!

She forced her half-lidded eyes at the sight of an unfamiliar room. Utahime’s awareness is just returning. She stares at the unknown surrounding - huh? wait, even the smell of the pillow is unfamiliar, unlike the one she uses in their temporary shelter. As visitors from the sister school in Kyoto, they were provided a dormitory inside the Jujutsu High complex but none of these things she’s seeing reminds her of it. 

The memories from last night gradually return. Ah, that’s right. The faculty of Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College and Kyoto Magic Technical College went to Karaoke on a Friday night. Utahime can remember how they got there, what she first drank and sang but she cannot recall how the hell she ended up in this place.

Hmm, maybe I’m in Shoko’s apartment… she says to herself, fully convinced that she got wasted the other night and thinks that maybe she’s in the custody of her good friend. It’s not unusual for the two of them to get inebriated after a Karaoke night anyway. Utahime adjusts herself to sit when the blanket around her falls revealing the half top of her body to be completely naked.

What the…?!

Headache and body ache be damned, her eyes widened, consciousness floods all over her, and discovers that all of her clothes - including her undergarments are on the white marble floor. Utahime wheezes, unable to contain the confusion and eventually resulted in an ear-splitting shriek that can wake up the demon from the depths of hell.

The next thing, she sensed another presence with her in the bed. Utahime turns her head and there lies, a mop of very familiar white hair under the white blanket. Her jaws are left hanging and it is as if she stopped breathing and living altogether especially when Gojo Satoru yawns and rises next to her ever so casually, his stupidly handsome face turning to look at her. Utahime’s head pulsates even more and heartbeat skips a beat seeing Gojo’s bare torso.

HUH?

Their eyes locked, staring at each other for a few intolerable, awkward seconds before their brains start working again. Thankfully, Utahime’s reflexes are quick, and that she was able to cover her upper body with the blanket before Gojo could land his eyes on her nakedness. Her voice dies in her throat examining Gojo’s perfectly toned upper body and blushes like a ripe tomato - NO- this is not the time to be mesmerized by this demon!

 First of all, what happened between them?!

She’s a full-grown adult, alright. And Utahime knows that when two grown adults woke up together naked, there could only be one thing they did.

Before Gojo could utter something, Utahime screams like a banshee and throws a punch at him, sending him flying from the bed to his wardrobe. The wardrobe almost broke when his huge body slammed into it. Perhaps he was also too disoriented that he forgot to activate infinity when he needs it the most. 

“P-PERVERT!” Utahime scampers to her feet and hurriedly jumps out of the bed and gets dressed while Gojo squirms on the floor grunting and massaging his jaw from Utahime’s punch. He pulls the blanket and wraps it around his lower body before standing up.

“Utahime...hey!” he tries to stop her from leaving but Utahime throws a random water bottle at him. Once again, Gojo fails to turn infinity on and is hit straight on his nose.

The door of his room slams shut leaving him confused. 

Okay.

What the hell happened?

Once she’s outside, Utahime runs to the bustling streets of Tokyo with a face like she would eat anyone blocking her way and so the people noticing a woman wearing a priestess attire in the middle of the streets obviously pissed for whatever reason quietly avoids her. She stomps her feet, racking her brain to try and remember the events from last night. She’s a 31 yr old woman, never been touched or kissed, hell, she never had a boyfriend before and then one night, suddenly decided to sleep with the man she swore to hate most. Unbelievable. Her ancestors are going to roll in their graves! Still panicking, she fishes out her phone that is vibrating nonstop.

Utahime glares at the screen when Gojo Satoru’s name flashes. How dare the bastard tries to call her right at this moment!

Amidst the chaos in her head, her thoughts stop, knowing that she is also responsible for what happened between them. Gojo may be an annoying piece of shit but she doubts that he’s that low to take advantage of a drunk woman. And judging by his reaction earlier, Gojo was as clueless as her. Not to mention his family’s reputation, there is no way Gojo Satoru would ruin that.

Regardless, Utahime cancels the call and breathes in and out deeply.  Calm down,  she tells herself.  Just return to Jujutsu High like nothing happened. She starts walking again, now calmer than earlier, alongside her aching back. Dammit. Just knowing why she got back pain from last night makes her nauseous. Gojo Satoru...of all men! 

She was walking at a steady pace when her eyes caught an incoming young man. And by gods, it must be that her luck is quite thinning because the young man coming in her direction happens to be Itadori Yuuji. Tokyo is too big, how come she’s now in the same place as Gojo’s student?! It might be that the boy is going to visit his sensei but that’s none of her business. She needs to hide from him immediately.

Utahime quickly evades the teen, worried that he might get a clue where she came from once he saw her. She turns on the next street and decides to give Shoko a call. After three rings, Shoko answers.

“Shoko!” she cries out, wanting to ask several questions at once but is unable to do so.

“Utahime, where are you?” Shoko asks. “I thought we’re going to Omotesando today? You have a hangover?” she says lightheartedly with a chuckle. 

Utahime’s eyes grow, realizing she forgets she asked Shoko that they will try the new coffee shop in Omotesando today and then accompany her in Ginza to shop. That's right, their conversation happened while they’re walking around looking for a karaoke bar when Gojo did what he excels at - annoying her - and stole her hair ribbon causing him to chase him down the streets until they’re in the bar. To avenge herself, Utahime stole his blindfolds and kept it. 

“S-sorry, I don’t think I can go today.”

“That’s okay,” Shoko assures. “You drank a lot last night. It's a miracle you were able to walk straight. It seems you became stronger, Utahime.” There is a hint of tease coming from the woman but her words leave Utahime confused.

“I...wasn’t drunk?” 

“Yeah?” Shoko’s eyebrows twitch from the other line. “You can’t remember? You were fine…”

Utahime blinks in bafflement. Wait for a second, if she wasn’t that drunk like Shoko is saying, then why she cannot remember what happened before she passed out in Gojo’s place?

“Who was with me?” Utahime asks. “I mean...you were the last person with me right?”

“Ehh, seriously?” Shoko expresses disbelief, holding a strand of her hair. It not unusual for Utahime to get flat out drunk but Shoko is sure that she was completely fine last night. “You went with Mei Mei and Gojo since you have the same way with them.”

Utahime gasps, still unable to recall the events from last night.

Something is off... this doesn’t make any sense.

“O-okay, I ..uh,” Utahime clears her throat. “I’ll see you around then!”

“Utahime?”

*Beep*

Utahime breathes out as another chunk of confusion invade her mind. It would be hella weird if she suddenly spout 'so...I slept with Gojo last night'  to her friend especially through a call. And knowing nothing how it happened makes it worse. They were drunk, yes, but it's not like they did it before even when they got drunk together!

And so, Utahime’s goes to her next resort for this mystery.

Chapter Text

Monday 

8:32 AM

The first years are waiting inside their classroom for longer than they had expected. Megumi is starting to get bored while his two friends busy themselves in talking about the recent baseball match against the Kyoto students. Megumi’s injuries from the goodwill event are getting better, all thanks to their resident doctor. 

“Isn’t sensei a little bit late today?” Yuuji plops back on a chair, putting a hand over his chin.

“A bit?” Nobara presses. “We’re waiting for one and a half hours already!”

Megumi only looks at the other two and quietly mutters a “finally they noticed” thought to himself. He flips another page of the book he is currently reading lazily.

“I went to his house last Saturday and he told me he’s going to meet us early today,” Yuuji complains with a pout. “Fushiguro, why don’t you call him?” he suggests.

Megumi turns up his eyes at him for a second, nose still buried in the book. “Let’s just wait for a couple of minutes, he’ll come for sure.”

The classroom door swings open, taking the attention of the teens, expecting it would be their sensei who finally arrives. However, Yuuji, Megumi, and Nobara are surprised to find a different teacher instead. 

“You’re…” Yuuji gazes at the woman as they wait for her to speak. Iori Utahime, they know her from their Gojo-sensei back in the goodwill event. Gojo mentioned her before as an acquaintance. Aside from this, they don’t know much about her. 

Utahime scans the room looking for someone. Gojo’s students, she thought.

“If Gojo arrives, please tell him the faculty is waiting in the principal’s office,” Utahime says simply and the students nod. It’s annoying to her that she is tasked to fetch the annoying man but that is partly because no one willingly wants to look for him despite the principals requests for his presence. 

The students can only guess the faculty meeting will be about the attack. 

Utahime steps outside and shuts the door leaving them behind, grateful that she found Gojo’s students and won’t need for her to personally talk with him regarding the meeting. It’s been two days since the incident and she still hasn't thought of talking with him. Utahime is considering leaving everything behind. This is Gojo Satoru, and as far as she’s concerned that man doesn’t take things like that seriously. Gojo has an ego bigger than him and more likely than not, sleeping around with different women seems to be normal behavior of him. 

That’s right. They’re grown-ups for Kami’s sake. She doesn’t need to make a fuss over it. So what if they slept together? It’s not that someone else will know if none of them talk about it openly. Besides, they don’t work in the same workplace. It would be easier for her to move on from it.

“Utahimeeeee,”

Her body freezes and blood boils at the irritating voice behind her. Utahime isn’t sure if facing him would be a wise idea so she just continues to stand like a statue in front of the closed classroom door.

“What’s up?” 

She can feel Gojo’s exasperating smirk without even looking at him. Utahime spins her heels. What’s up? That’s all he’s going to say after everything?!

“WHAT?!” she fumes, whipping her hair as she faces him.

Gojo quickly steps back, hands motioning in surrender with apparent shock.

“Woah, woah, I just greeted you Utahime, chill!”

Chill?  Chill?  Such words are out of Utahime’s vocabulary when she’s in front of this guy. Utahime curls her fists, stomps forwards and breathes out. Gojo could’ve sworn he saw steam coming from her nose.

“Everyone is waiting for you! How come you’re always late on important matters?! You have to be a role model for your students.”  Stupid idiot.  Utahime keeps the last part to herself, trying her hardest to be as professional as possible and not bring up the events last Saturday. She wants to forget about it and wants to forget about him! Very soon they will return to Kyoto, just a few more days and she can completely avoid Gojo’s infuriating presence.

Utahime walks past him, avoiding his gaze behind those sunglasses. 

“Not so fast,” Gojo says as he clasps her wrist. 

The skin contact brings shivers to her spine and immediately releases herself from Gojo’s hand refusing to be touched.

“Don’t touch me,” Utahime warns sternly and the air around them shifts into a serious tone. “....again, you bastard.”

Gojo is bad at reading women but he knows that there’s a real bite from Utahime words this time. Unlike before, he didn’t push his teasing further, knowing how she is dead serious, glaring daggers at him like he stole something extremely valuable from her.

Which he did, unknowingly.

“I guess we need to talk.” It's atypical for Gojo to use a genuinely serious voice when talking to her which surprises Utahime. Did she judge him way too quickly proving her thoughts about him to be wrong?

“Give it back,” Gojo opens his palm in an act of asking something from her. Utahime blinks at his hand, puzzled and looks at him confused.

“My blindfold, you stole it last Friday, Utahime.” Gojo smiles, his provoking smile is back again much to Utahime’s annoyance. 

Was it the only reason he was calling her nonstop when she left his apartment? And now the reason why he approaches her?

Her anger flares up and clenches her fists tightly before taking his damned blindfold out of her pocket and throwing it at him. Of course, she cannot be wrong about him, Gojo Satoru is an insufferable existence. She marches again going to where the faculty meeting is when once again, he tries to stop her by blocking her way.

“Now what?” Utahime hisses, she can feel her patience draining the more she spends time with him. “Hurry up because they’re-”

“Oooooh, I don’t think that’s our priority today,” Gojo cuts her off and just like that, grabs Utahime’s arm through the school’s alleyway and drags her until they’re on the campus garden. Along their way, Utahime keeps on shouting and slapping his hand away, demanding to be released at once.

“Gojo!” she growls, loud enough to spook the birds from the tree. The man lets go of her once they’re in the garden.

“What do you want?!” she asks, still fuming.

“I know you want to talk to me badly,” Gojo puts his hands in his pockets and balances himself from foot to foot. “C’mon, just say it~”

“Don’t make it sound like I crave talking to you, asshat!” Utahime snarls, quaking at Gojo’s choice of words. Badly want to talk to him huh. If there is something she wants to do with him it’s that she wants to badly beat him up. 

Gojo removes his sunglasses. “Sheesh, you really won’t hold back getting hysterical even if my students hear us. That’s not being a good role model, Utahime.” 

“You---!” Utahime stops herself, lying to him now is futile. She starts thinking rationally that they should face this like real, mature, adults. She sighs and massages her head with her fingers and faces the horizon.

“About… last Saturday,” she begins. “...or Friday night,” argh! She doesn’t know how to deal with this.

Gojo remains still, letting her talk first.

“I asked Shoko who were the people with me supposedly going back to the dorm and she said it was you and Mei Mei.” 

Gojo nods in acknowledgment.

“I went to Mei Mei after I left your apartment but even her couldn’t give me an answer.” Utahime pauses and glances at him. “But I didn’t tell her about sleeping in your bed and all that!” she clarifies. Mei Mei told her that she left them and played in a casino on their way from the Karaoke bar to multiply her money, her way of having fun in Tokyo. 

“That makes you the last person I was with.” she continues. “Shoko noted that I wasn’t too drunk when we left the bar, but how come I couldn’t remember anything about it?”

“You were fine, that’s true,” Gojo replies. “But not an hour after we left the bar, both of us felt terrible.”

Utahime faces him. “What do you mean?”

“I see you don’t remember anything at all.” Gojo chuckles and shakes his head.

“That’s why we’re having this conversation!” Utahime barks.

The white-haired man scratches his head. “Well, we were arguing when you suddenly collapsed. Good thing I was quick to catch you or you’ll have multiple head injuries! You should thank me, Utahime~” Gojo brags in a sing-song tone pointing a finger at her.

Utahime slaps away his finger. “As if I remember that!”

“That’s why I’m telling you, cause you can’t.” he sticks his tongue out.

Utahime huffs. Dealing with this man so early in the morning is already ruining her day. “What about the one you said we both felt terrible after that?”

“Ah! Of course, we were nearing my apartment when you lost consciousness and that’s when I decided to take you in.”

“A-and?” Utahime reluctantly asks, unsure if she wants to hear more after that. 

“When we reached my apartment while I was carrying you,” Gojo leans closer, controlling himself not to burst out laughing because that would be inappropriate but at the same time, he can’t stop himself from teasing Utahime. Teasing her is just way too fun and before he knows it, she’s like an addiction he cannot easily let go.

“W-what happened?” Utahime feels that there is something in the bastard’s head from the way those crystal blue orbs stare at her.

“You sure you don’t remember?” he asks in a whisper, his hot breath grazing to her cheeks making her stagger and jumps back.

“Just tell me what happened next!” she rages. This whole conversation is putting much pressure on her.

Gojo straightens his back while still having his eyes pin at the woman before him.

“You kissed me..” Gojo says deadpan.

“Ehh??” Utahime gulps, thinking she stresses herself too much that she’s hearing the most absurd thing ever. There is a pause as a gentle breeze passes by and none of them moves an inch.

“I said you kissed me, Utahime,” Gojo repeats nonchalantly.

Utahime swallows, only her saliva and thankfully not her tongue, staring at Gojo in horror and confusion combined. She opens her mouth but there are no words that came. 

“And then that’s all I can remember. I lost my memories after that.” Gojo points at his lips. “When you kissed me.”

“HAH?” Utahime chokes. 

“One thing is for sure, the drink you consumed last Friday night was drugged and you passed it on me through the kiss.”

“But who would dare to…?!”

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” Gojo swipes his hair back. “You’re not that too much of a threat, I doubt someone would spend their time trying to eradicate you!” Gojo is back to his usual self but this time, he has infinity activated, blocking Utahime’s slap.

“Respect your elder!” she screams, these repetitive demands are kind of getting tiresome in all honesty. 

Gojo stifles a laugh and leans down so that they are eye to eye. “Utahime, maybe before I start respecting you, you should first try not to kiss your junior.” he winks flirtatiously. 

Utahime’s whole face reddens in embarrassment. For a moment, Gojo worries that she might pass out again but she soon collects herself and marches away from him.

“I hate you so much!” she yells.

“Utahime! Aren’t you forgetting something?” Gojo calls again.

Now, what could be it this time?

She turns around seeing her white ribbon that was just thrown by Gojo and quickly catches it with one hand before storming out, muttering words of disappointment.

Once Utahime is out of his sight, Gojo’s face turns serious, and sighs. 

It doesn’t take a genius to read the situation. He knows that he was the one being targeted that night. But he wonders what kind of enemy would use an aphrodisiac to lure him.

“Heh.” Gojo sniggers, this is interesting. 

The Kyoto faculty and student returns to Kyoto after three days. But before that, Utahime and Gojo had a deal (through a text) that they would forget what happened between them that one Friday night. She had a slight worry about the person who caused this trouble but Gojo assured her that he would inform her had he get reliable information. They also kept this case to themselves as per Utahime's request to prevent additional rumors. It would be scandalous if the incident gets to the higher-ups and that's the last thing they need at the moment. 

Utahime continued her life, as usual, teaching and guiding her students making them stronger in every passing day for their future missions. She still has dreams about Gojo but it has lessened as days go by. It must be because he randomly texts her out of the blue saying he saw a cat pooping or anything that happened in his day or whatever bullshit he comes up with - which Utahime continues to ignore. What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with him? She is aware that they still have the deal of finding the spy among their school but none of the messages she receives from Gojo concerns it. 

Waking up early in the morning is one of her routines but this particular morning is different. Utahime wakes up from the weird feeling just before her alarm clock startles her. She scratches her eyes with the back of her hand and sits on the side of her bed feeling lightheaded.

"Uhg, I think I'm going to puke."

Moments later, the sour liquid crawls in her throat, forcing her to run to the bathroom, and gags, vomiting everything she consumed last night.

"What's happening....?"

Utahime throws up again. For once, she doesn't suspect it is something she ate last night considering she simply ate a normal dinner with the students. Her head feels heavy and the world is spinning. She crawls back to her bed after washing her mouth with water.

Am..I?

Panic and terrified, she hovers her finger to Shoko's number but doesn't think she's in the right state of mind to ask her about that topic yet. Utahime tells herself to remain calm and browsed her contacts again and stops at Gojo's number.

Realizing there is only one person she could run to, she called him - ignoring her protesting body and mind.

"Wow!" Gojo picks up after a few rings. "Am I dreaming? Utahime you're calling me?" 

"Shut up!" Utahime coughs, still feeling the itchy throat from puking earlier. 

Gojo yawns from the other line but is curious to hear the reason why Utahime is calling him at this hour. 

"What is it? Are you sick?" 

It might be that Utahime is imagining it but there is a hint of worry from Gojo's voice. It can also be just because of her dizziness that she misunderstood his tone.

"G-Gojo.." her voice trembles and gulps before continuing.

"Yeah?" Gojo impatiently waits and had the shock of his life from the next thing she says. 

"I ...I think I'm pregnant."

Chapter Text

Tokyo

A sound of the body crashing onto the tatami mat resonates in the training room after Gojo used one hand to spar with his student. Megumi pushed himself into a sitting position as the older man towers in front of him.

“I win, again.” Gojo smiles. “I was surprised you asked me to train you. Are you feeling pressure because of Yuuji’s growth?”

The teen grumbles. “Well, beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Is it that annoying to ask me?” Gojo blubbers. “Megumi, your skill and potential are probably higher than Yuuji’s. All that’s left is the mental aspect,” he says, scratching his nose with his thumb. “Megumi, you don’t know how to bring out your best, do you?” he isn’t trying to taunt the teen or anything. Just Gojo getting straight to the point.

“What? Are you saying I’m not giving my best?!” Megumi argues, getting a little offended by the comment.

“No. I'm saying you don't know how. Just look at the baseball game. Why did you bunt?” Gojo counters, making Megumi realize his mistakes. 

They had a student and teacher talk  with Gojo telling him about the differences between him and Yuuji and Megumi.

“It’s okay to be selfish,” Gojo notes, and momentarily pauses as if something struck him.

Megumi notices this brief change of demeanor. What’s going on with him? 

“Anyway!” the man is back to his jolly self and straightens his posture. “I’ll be out of reach for three days or more,” he turns around taking his leave.

“W-wait!” 

“Let’s finish this training, for now, I know you can handle the rest. Tomorrow, the three of you will be assigned on a new mission.” Gojo continues as he walks away.

“But where are you going?” Megumi asks hastily, frustrated that they have to stop the training when they are just starting.

“Hmm,” the older man puts a hand over his chin and stops. “Something personal.” he flashes a smile to Megumi and makes his exit.

Personal huh . Megumi mumbles. Somehow, it gives him a feeling that it is vaguely important. 

“Chances of pregnancy?” Shoko halts while stirring her coffee, sitting in her office chair while talking with her friend over the phone.

“Er, a friend of mine suspects that she’s pregnant after doing it for the first time.” Utahime makes faces, she feels bad for lying to Shoko. Even so, this won’t be too complicated if the man involved in her current dilemma is a different guy, but lo and behold, it has to be Gojo Satoru.

Meanwhile, the man himself enters Shoko’s office and sits on the couch in front of the doctor’s table.

Shoko hums and sets aside her coffee while taking notes. “It depends, but the percentage of getting pregnant is always present when you had unprotected sex,” she waves a hand to Gojo signaling him that she’s occupied for the moment where the man bobs his head in response telling her to take her time.

“I assume this is an unprotected one since she’s worried?” partly a question, mostly a statement.

“Yes…” Utahime sweats and nervously checks behind her where her students are currently having lunch. Both hands grasping the phone next to her ear. 

“I see. Although the common signs are nausea and a missed period, the best way to know is to take a pregnancy test.”

Utahime bit her pointing finger. “Okay, I get it,” she says quietly. “Is that all?”

“Hm, yes, that’s the first step. The second one would be an ultrasound.” Shoko states.

“Thank you, Shoko. I’ll make sure to tell my friend about this.” Utahime closes her eyes shut when Nishimiya calls her asking her to join them for their lunch. “I gotta go, my students need me.”

“Sure, you’re welcome.” 

Utahime ends the call and Shoko faces Gojo.

“Was that Utahime?” the man asks, crossing his legs and resting his elbow on the armrest comfortably. 

“Yes, just inquiring. What can I do for you?” Shoko sips her coffee, eyes bouncing from her notes to the screen of her laptop. 

“I’ll be taking a short vacation, just telling you in case my students need extra help.” 

“You mean if they get on the brink of death?” Shoko jokes. “That’s my job to treat them if they need me. No need to worry about it.”

Gojo laughs with a nod. “We might call you one of these days if that’s okay?” he stands, stretching his arms heavenwards.

Shoko has a focus on her documents. “No problem.”

Once Gojo is outside, she rewinds his words before leaving.

“‘we’?”

Kyoto

Utahime refuses to confess to Shoko mainly because of two reasons; firstly, they aren’t 100 percent sure if she’s pregnant, and secondly, it is harder on her part to admit it. Nevertheless, Utahime is quite thankful that Gojo seems to respect her decision and doesn't try to drop the bomb unexpectedly. 

Miwa and Kamo are assigned to buy their afternoon snacks today but Utahime volunteers to accompany Miwa instead. Perfect, she has to use this opportunity to buy that pregnancy kit.

Utahime sights a nearby pharmacy just outside the convenience store and tells Miwa to wait for her after getting the snacks.

“I’ll be back, just wait here!” she says, running off to the next store. Miwa proceeds to choose from junk foods and pastries and dumps it inside the basket. Then, she goes to get some drinks and candies too.

At the drugstore, Utahime contemplates which one to take and decides to get two different brands just to be sure of the result. She’s on her way to the cashier when Miwa suddenly appears, surprising her.

“Utahime-sensei!” Miwa exclaims cheerfully, holding two white plastic bags in both hands. Utahime jerks back in shock.

“Miwa, didn’t I tell you to wait for me?” the older woman reminds.

“Oh,” the younger one looks puzzled. “I'm sorry! I forgot! But it’s alright, I’m done buying snacks.” Miwa grins apologetically and her eyes land on her sensei’s hands. “Hm? What did you buy sensei?”

Oh no.

Utahime shudders. “I-it’s nothing, really, some medicines for headache. That’s all.” 

“Medicines?” what Utahime is holding doesn’t look like medicines at all. Judging from the small box, those are two rectangular plastic things.

“Umm, sensei, is that…?” the girl may be dumb at times but sure enough she knows what that thing is called. 

Utahime held her breath and hid the kits behind her with one hand and put her other hand above Miwa’s shoulder.

“I bought these for my friend! Ahaha! Wait for me outside while I pay for this, okay?” she fakes a laugh, pushing the girl gently outside the shop. Miwa quietly complies but the question still lingers in her head. 

They return to school and the students begin snacking. Utahime goes straight to the comfort room. She stares at the two small boxes on her hands. Hopefully, Miwa forgets about what she saw and won't tell anyone about it. 

“Here I go,” Utahime heaves a sigh letting go of her fear once and for all, and starts unboxing the pregnancy kits after reading the notes on how to use it. She uses the first one and puts it inside the box not wanting to see the result yet and then does the same with the second one. 

Her stomach is in knots, this might be the most stressful thing she had been in her life. Hell, this is harder than all of her past missions combined. 

Utahime hears incoming footsteps and hurriedly hides the kits in her pockets. A few seconds later, Nishimiya and Mai appear.

“Geez, Todo almost ate all the snacks!” Nishimiya bleats and Mai chuckles. Utahime fakes a smile at the students and leaves the comfort room.

She walks alone in the alleyway of the school in a rush when the phone in her pocket vibrates. Utahime pulls it out and her eyes widen upon seeing that Gojo has texted her.

Gojo: Maruyama Park, 3 PM, tomorrow.

She frowns and looks around then back at her phone again.  What does this mean? Utahime wonders and after a second of realization;

No way! Is Gojo going to Kyoto?!

Maruyama Park, Kyoto 

It takes 2 hours and 20 mins from Tokyo to Kyoto via shinkansen. And with this issue still hanging in the air unless they make a joint decision, Gojo took the liberty to fix his ‘personal matter’ and decides to personally go to Kyoto. 

Contrary to what his colleagues know, according to Gojo, he isn’t here for leisure (although traveling for more than 2 hours enjoying the view and eating Kyoto delicacies on his way, doing a little bit of shopping can be count, oh well)  

Two children, a boy, and a girl, most likely siblings, are playing catch with their dog from afar. The green field complements the serene sky in the afternoon as their laughter fills the air. Utahime watches them quietly while sitting on a bench. Her students went to their respective mission today, just in time for her to go to Maruyama Park.

“I’m bad with names.” 

There is an uncomfortable silence between them for a while until Gojo breaks it off. The man sits next to her albeit with considerable distance, both of them in their civilian attire.

“What?” Utahime looks at him for the first time since she arrives. 

“What do you think?” Gojo’s eyes are on the children. “About the kid’s name.” 

It takes a moment before the statement registers in her head. Utahime squints and makes a choking sound.

"We aren't even sure yet!" she protests, clutching a round black handbag on her lap.

Gojo shifts his eyes on her questioningly.

"I am scared…" Utahime sighs and pulls out the two small boxes of pregnancy kits from yesterday. "I don't have the courage to see the results…" she gives the other to Gojo, without looking at the man.

Gojo accepts it with his left hand and looks at the other box in Utahime's hand.

"I bought two just to make sure," she explains.

"Oh," Gojo dips his head on the side. "so we're going to check it together? How romantic!"

"I swear to heaven and earth, Gojo Satoru, I will one day kill you." Utahime threatens as a nerve pops on her head. 

"I'm just kidding to lighten the mood!" 

"This is a serious matter!" Utahime yells, the children overheard the seeming lover's quarrel and runs in the other direction, fearing that the scary woman turns her anger at everyone in the area. 

Gojo notices this and wants to laugh out loud but hold himself together, either his rational side of brain kicking or that Utahime might choke him to death if he did. 

"Fine, fine," he motions his hands in surrender. "I can see you're very stressed about this. I apologize."

If not because of the situation, Utahime would consider checking his temperature. Gojo Satoru apologizing for his behavior? A never before seen! 

Utahime's eyes lands on the box she's holding and exhales. "Let's do it," she commands, gathering her courage to finally see it.

"Yeah," he agrees coolly.

In a count of three, they pull out the kits from the boxes in unison. Gojo stares blankly at the result while Utahime's eyes become teary and broad.

Both results are positive.

Silence looms between them once again and Gojo returns the kit inside the box. He faces Utahime who can't take her eyes off the kit, as if the thing betrayed her.

"Utahime," he calls calmly, but the woman is too occupied by her thoughts.

Gojo breathes out from his nose and closes the distance between him and Utahime.

"Hey," he whispers taking her attention. She looks at him slowly with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. 

"Whatever you want to do with it, I'll support it." Gojo sincerely says. In times like this, there is no room for him to joke around. He knows this is a tough decision for a woman.

"It's your body after all." He adds, looking away and adjusting his sunglasses.

Utahime can feel the emotional undertone within that statement like Gojo wants to elaborate something about her decision but understands that he doesn't have the right to do so. She cannot word it out completely but she can sense it. This is the first time she has seen him like this.

Having a child is the last thing she expected from herself. Being a sorcerer, having a dangerous job, it is the last thing a woman like her would think of. But Utahime knows deep inside of her what she truly wants.

"I'll keep it." she declares after a long pause. She has no problem being a mother as she is fond of children and knows for a fact that can take care of them. The challenge however lies in the big change in her life soon but Utahime brushes it off, she can deal with it later.

"I see." Gojo nods without looking at her. His lips curve to a small smile and stand up.

"Then that settles it!" He rejoices, returning to his true self, putting his arms akimbo and leans down to Utahime. Their face are merely inches apart making the woman gasp at his actions. 

"You'll be under my care now, Utahime." he gives her a toothy grin.

Utahime gazes at him like she ate something bitter. What's going on? Did she make the wrong decision? Why is this idiot speaking like they're going to elope just because he got her pregnant and that she decides to keep the child? 

"But first, you need to resign from your job as a teacher." Gojo beams with an oozing positivity, like what he said is urgent and that Utahime has nothing to say against it.

"EH?" Utahime quivers in her seat. No way in hell this idiot will decide what she needs to do!

Chapter Text

“This is not for you to decide!”

Utahime’s voice reverberates in the hallway of the campus as Gojo pulls her hand going to principal Gakuganji’s office. She has a bad feeling about this. Utahime is aware that Gojo and their principal are pretty much on bad terms. The way Gojo is marching together with her in the principal’s office can only mean that he’s going to tell him what he had told her beforehand. 

She releases herself from his grasp and holds her ground. “What makes you think you can decide on what I have to do with my life?! I already told you, I am keeping the child,” the last part of her statement came in a hiss. “No need for you to get involved with it-”

“I don’t think you’re getting what I mean, Utahime.” Gojo turns around to face her. “This is not about getting involved with each other,” his words have no antagonism but somehow, there is part of it that stings.

“However, you should know for a fact that I, Gojo Satoru have many enemies and with you carrying my child could only mean one thing,” he elaborates yet leave to Utahime the rest of the explanation.

Utahime knows who Gojo is and that their job is tied with danger. Enemies such as the attackers from the goodwill event like this mysterious Mahito guy, several unnamed groups that seem to loathe their existence - to name a few. Carrying the ‘strongest sorcerer’s’ child will put her in the next level danger, that is for sure.

“I can handle myself just fine,” Utahime insists, refusing to take Gojo’s plan. “I have a life here and where in our discussion did I say that I am going to leave my job just because I’m having a child?”

Gojo holds a firm gaze at her. There is something about his look that this is a matter or urgency but Utahime cannot quite grasp what’s with those eyes. 

"You know my family background, right?” he asks in a way that makes Utahime quiver. That’s right, the Gojo clan - one of the three great families. She only heard it from the higher-ups and her colleagues but never personally met any of the great families' heads. Mai does not seem to be fond of her family either and judging the Zenins, they have harsh methods of raising a child. It is a well-known story among the faculty how their eldest daughter got kicked out. 

She once heard that Gojo is the family’s heir, having both the six eyes and limitless, the prodigious son of a renowned clan. For all those years that she had known him, Gojo never talked about his clan. He loves bragging about himself but never about his family despite being born in a respectable bloodline. Perhaps he holds some type of ill-feeling towards his clan or that he’s simply not interested in talking about them. Then again, Utahime can only wonder.

“My family has numerous enemies in addition to mines,” Gojo scratches his temple with his pointing finger. “Do you think you can take all of them?” he asks again, tilting his head as Utahime stares at him, fear starting to appear in her facade.

Utahime’s thoughts raced in her head.  “T-there’s no saying that your enemies will know you are the father of this child!” she counters.

She has a point but Gojo knows better. “You’re underestimating our opponents, Utahime, that’s not a good thing.”

Utahime breaks their eye contact. Admittedly, Gojo is right and it is better for her and the child - their child - to be under Gojo’s custody. She’s a capable sorcerer but sooner or later her physical prowess will be limited due to her state. And if the enemies attack her, everyone around her will also be put in danger. 

“I’m sure you don’t want to endanger the child, do you?” Gojo prods, pushing Utahime to give up and get along with his scheme. 

“I…”

Before she can answer, Gojo barges inside the principal’s office without any introduction. Principal Gakuganji lifts his head with a surprised look on his face.

“G-Gojo Satoru!” Miwa, who is arranging the bookshelf in the principal’s office, is spooked and clumsily drops the books she is holding.

Behind Gojo is Utahime who reluctantly walks with him, not meeting the principal’s gaze like a little girl who did something very naughty and is about to confess to her elders (in her opinion, naughty is an understatement on what Gojo and her did that one Friday night)

“Gojo, what makes you visit Kyoto so suddenly and summon yourself in my office uninvitingly at this hour?” the old man’s eyebrows twitch, not amused at the way Gojo has arrived. His eyes turned to Utahime questioningly.

“Principal Gakuganji, let me explain,” Utahime says in a rush but Gojo steps forward.

“I’m here to take her.”

Miwa jolts on where she stands, what does he mean by that?

The principal remains unmoved and shoots them a look that can be translated as ‘elaborate’

Utahime ponders if Gojo has thought of an alibi beforehand on why he is taking her. Maybe he’s going to tell him about their deal back in the goodwill event or that Jujutsu High requires her skills or maybe a completely different reason. She trusts that he has already something in mind before facing the principal.

“Utahime and I are engaged.” Gojo announces.

All the color on her face vanished in an instant and Utahime has lost the ability to talk. Miwa shrieks as though she got electrocuted, principal Gakuganji’s jaws almost hit the floor and Gojo can't lie, he relishes the moment of seeing the old hag almost getting a heart attack from his revelation.

“W-w-what the hell did you just!” Utahime finds her voice again. She cannot believe this dumbass would think about the craziest alibi. She wants him to stop talking and make the matter worse but it’s too late.

“Utahime, is this true?” the principal asks distastefully, not hiding the fact that he didn’t like what he heard from Gojo.

“P-principal…” she stammers, glaring daggers at Gojo and looking guilty at the principal back and forth.

“Are you out of your damned mind?!” she grumbles lowly at the man beside her and Gojo only smirks as if saying there is no going out of this unless she decides to agree with him. 

“...it’s true…” Utahime wants the floor to eat her alive.

Miwa gasps and covers her mouth with one hand, eyes almost leaving their sockets. It’s not like she’s a part of the conversation but having to witness this entire revelation is like watching a shooting from a popular Jdrama. The only difference is all of these are real, there are no cameras around, and that she is going to be affected by it soon enough. 

The principal sighs loudly, disbelief all over his face

“Utahime is responsible to most of our students, besides, we lack adequate instructors.” the old man says more to Gojo than to the woman in question. 

“I am aware of that. But Utahime here won’t be able to perform her duties once she’s with me. It’s going to be unfair to your school if she remains to be employed here.” Gojo replies with confidence and Utahime almost puke at the thought of living with this man. She knows that Gojo is only lying about this and that this is all but an excuse for him to take her along but still…

Gakuganji thinks about this for a while and reconsiders. As much as it angers him to admit, the brat is right. Even so, the decision will be at the school’s expense. 

“Principal, I would like to speak for myself-” Utahime steps in but the principal waves a hand.

“Submit your resignation today,” he orders

“P-principal!” she calls helplessly but Gojo stops her by holding her wrist. He shakes his head as she looks at him.

“Well then, see you everyone at our wedding!” Gojo pulls her outside to talk with the woman privately while Utahime hesitantly and angrily stomps outside.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Utahime snarls once they’re out of the principal’s office, Gojo chuckles and the woman attempts to smack the hell out of him but fails.

“What’s wrong with that? Would you rather tell them your pregnancy than us being engaged?” he teases.

“Both of them are gross!” Utahime complains. She’s unsure if the latter is more acceptable to her but surely the other choice would send them both to unemployment and scandal. No one should know her real situation. But this is so unfair, why is she the only one losing her job?

Come to think of it, there is literally no better alibi than that. If she is to be under Gojo’s protection, it would raise suspicions among their colleagues. 

Utahime gulps and thinks about this carefully. “Are we going to pose as...lovers now?”

“Mhm, I suppose,” Gojo says. “But I doubt any of the teachers are going to believe that. As for the higher ups and the students, it’s going to work, but for the rest, absolutely not.”

“Right,” she nods, crossing her arms over her chest and suddenly that’s a relief. No one in their sane mind among their colleagues will believe that they are dating. That’s a good thing. Utahime is not willing to fake being lovey-dovey with this idiot in front of their friends. She would rather beat his ass.

“We’re doing this for the child, nothing less, nothing more,” Gojo walks away, hands in his pockets. “I’ll wait for you at Kyoto station before 7 PM. Guess you still need to talk with your superior. See ya,” and he goes.

Utahime reaches for her stomach with one hand gently and reminds herself that she's doing it for this child. 

She grunts and signs the letter in the lower right corner. She puts the pen down solemnly and goes to pack her belongings. That damned Gojo didn’t even let her say something earlier. She could have handled things differently and in a more professional approach. 

A knock is heard from outside the door taking her attention.

“Um, Utahime-sensei?” 

It is Miwa. The girl works as the principal’s assistant from time to time when she’s not on a mission, making her the only student present in the school today.

“Come in, Miwa,” Utahime allows her to come and the teen pokes her head behind the door sheepishly.

“I’m sorry, um,” Miwa steps inside and closes the door behind. “Are you leaving today?”

“Yes.” Utahime replies and continues to pack her clothes. “Gojo….and I decided to live together.”

Uhg.

It takes great effort from her to lie about it and instantly feels bad. Lately she’s been lying to a lot of people.

“Oh.. that’s a good thing, sensei?” Miwa approaches her shyly. “I didn’t know you and Gojo-sensei are….”

Here comes the dreaded word.

“....engaged.”

Utahime fakes a laugh. “That’s- Yes, unexpected?”  shit I don’t want to lie about loving that bastard . 

“Well, we’re already old and so we decided to settle down.”  OH GOD.

“That’s great, sensei!” Miwa chirps in delight and holds her hands. “I hope you and Gojo-sensei makes a lot of babies and have a happy life!” she cheerfully says.

Utahime turns pale as a ghost, feeling that something has taken the life out of her.

“S-sure…”

Utahime went to the principal’s office once more to submit her resignation letter and had a short discussion with him, allowing her to resign from her position as an instructor. However, since the other students will definitely look for her once they are back, the principal told her that it will be better if they tell us that she is on a business trip to Tokyo in addition to her engagement rather than outright telling them she resigned. 

“In due time, I will tell them that you are staying in Tokyo for good.” the principal folds the paper in his hands. 

“My job here is terminated but I still have responsibilities to my students. I’ll make sure to not worry them too much, thank you for your consideration, principal. Utahime bows. “...and if you may accept me again one day…” she adds in the hopes of one day returning to the school as a teacher again.

“If he is to be your husband, you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders, Utahime.” the man states. “He is the heir of the Gojo clan, remember that.” it is more of advice than a reminder and Utahime is unsure whether she understands that on a deeper note. There is an inkling suggestion from the old man’s words that warns her about the Gojo clan.

Well, there’s no reason for her to worry since she and Gojo are only making this up. There is absolutely no need for her to marry that idiot for real.

Utahime goes to Kyoto station where Gojo is waiting for her. He bought two tickets in advance (in his expense) and proceeds to the railway platform to wait for their train. The two didn’t exchange words all the while with Utahime keeping her distance from him. Surprisingly, Gojo didn’t try to annoy her or ask her about it which is new.

Gojo sits next to her inside the shinkansen and Utahime busies herself gazing at the window, crossing her arms, still not talking with him until the train departs.

“Hey,” Gojo finally takes notice of the strange behavior and pokes her arm.

Utahime takes a glance at him but keeps her eyes on the view from outside.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks and just then, a pretty stewardess arrives to offer them bento boxes, soft drinks, beer, and other goodies. 

“I’m just trying to process everything that’s happening right now,” Utahime says, not looking at him. Everything happened all too fast but they also need to decide and act on this matter before it worsen and they might endanger the people around them. Pregnancy is a secret that cannot be hide forever. Utahime realizes that maybe Gojo is right about lying on the engagement because it saves them both from the shame that awaits them. They are both teachers, admitting what they did would be ridiculous. What would their students think of them? Once she gives birth to the child, they can be free from each other. Utahime quietly consoles herself thinking about it. 

 She continues to babble on and on when it comes to her attention that Gojo isn’t listening at all. She turns her head and finds him flirting  with the stewardess, the audacity of this bastard! From the looks of it, the stewardess, unaware of the man’s shitty personality, is enamored by his good looks and charm. 

Utahime can’t deny that even finding him annoying (that sometimes she wants to break his neck), Gojo is indeed a beautiful man. Any woman within their vicinity would downright desire to be with him.

“Ehem,” she coughs loudly enough for the two to stop talking. The stewardess just notices her presence and shrinks on her spot. 

“One bento box for me and  beer ,” Utahime commands, not hiding the irritation in her voice. For the first time since she knew him, Gojo shoots her an incredulous look, crystal-blue eyes filled with objection.

“Beer?” he asks in surprise and immediately grabs the can of beer from the stewardess. “She means pineapple juice, thank you.” he smiles, Utahime adjusts from her seat and crosses her arms. Deep inside, she cannot hide the smile of satisfaction of taking his attention.

I won this time.

Of course, she cannot drink beer anymore. 

Chapter Text

Gojo downs the can of beer and lets out a sigh of satisfaction. It has been an hour since they left Kyoto. Some passengers quietly talk while the others choose to sleep along with the travel, others are just starting their dinner or reading magazines. They are mostly composed of travelers; both locals and foreigners.

“My deal?” 

Utahime nods, reaching for her bento box and carefully opening the plastic cover. She had known Gojo for quite a time and his recent actions suggest that there is more than taking responsibility for what they did. He is not the type who would worry over trivial matters, not that her pregnancy does not mean anything to him because it might be that the man is purely guilty but Utahime also perceives that that’s not the only reason. She didn’t try to squeeze him and spill the beans, allowing him to take charge of the situation, merely observing albeit she cannot read him well enough to say what’s going on inside his head.

He came as far as going to Kyoto and taking her despite them not having any type of committed relationship and she is not even begging him to take responsibility for her pregnancy. That move is enough for her to say he has a much bigger intention.

“What’s the real reason? And don’t try to fool me, Gojo. I will know when you’re lying.” she says, leaning to take a bite of the karaage.

Gojo makes an amused smile, as expected from her, she knows he’s up to something. Utahime is one of his most trusted colleagues, enough for him to trust her in finding the spy in Kyoto.

 “You’ll find it soon enough.” 

Utahime glimpses at him as she eats. It better be a worthy reason, worthy enough for her to leave her job and her life in Kyoto. 

“What I said about my enemies and my clan’s enemies is true,” says Gojo, leaning his back on the comfortable seat seeing the way Utahime is trying to decipher his words. “And an additional one, actually, make it more than one.”

Utahime takes another bite of her meal and swallows it before speaking. She’s a mature individual, she can wait to hear his reasons. In addition to this, she wants to know if he manages to find a clue on the perpetrator of the drugged drink she consumed that Friday night. But Utahime understands they are not in the right place to discuss it. 

“And about the spy…” Gojo adds in a low voice, not forgetting that important mission he left to her care a month ago.

“I already settled that matter before leaving Kyoto.” Utahime responds quietly, pausing a little before continuing, hesitance in her eyes. “Although I have a vague idea who it might be…”

“I’ll wait until your confirmation,” Gojo assures, lifting the pressure on her. Knowing the spy is not a matter of urgency as of now, that issue can wait.

The trip goes smoothly for the next hour, with occasional talk here and there between them, avoiding certain topics and only those which are easy to talk about in public places. Nearing their destination, Utahime opens up about her plan once she settled in Tokyo.

They arrived in Tokyo after an hour and a half. Gojo carries her luggage, earning a quizzical look from her but didn’t say anything and let him do it.  Oh so now he’s acting like he can take care of a pregnant woman . Utahime snorts at this thought. Gojo can be the most annoying man ever but he is not a total asshole. Still, a little chivalry from him surprises her. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll just have to take a call, wait for me here. Someone will pick us up in a while.” 

Phone in his hand, Gojo walks away. They’re outside the Tokyo station at a nearby mall. The hustle-bustle of the surrounding area soon catches Utahime’s eyes. Just a month ago, she’s here in this city for a business trip and now she’s back with an entirely different cause.

“Can’t he take the call with me around?”  If it’s a sorcerer related call, Gojo can easily talk about it in front of her. Then again, she only knows him as a colleague. He has a private life outside his job.

Somewhere along with her thoughts, Utahime feels an annoyance.  Maybe it is a woman  - a girlfriend perhaps. Surely he is taking a lot of time talking with this girl or whoever it is.

Gojo appears from the sea of people nearing her and Utahime looks away, not wanting to get caught waiting for the idiot to return. She wants to ask him about the call but pushes down any word. It is not her business to know whatever he does and the same goes for him about her. 

Moments later, a luxurious black car stops in front of them and Gojo takes her luggage.

“What are you doing?” she asks, not expecting that this particular car is going to be their ride.

An old but fit man wearing formal clothes exits from the car. He is tall but not taller than Gojo, with white hair due to old age, deep onyx eyes around his wrinkled skin. He doesn’t look like one of Jujutsu High’s drivers and the car he drives is too posh to be one of the school’s cars. 

“Good evening, Master Satoru,” the man dips his head to give pleasantries. Utahime arches an eyebrow at the honorific used by the man.  Master. 

“It’s been a while Enmei-san!” Gojo greets back. “This is Iori Utahime,” he introduces simply before giving her luggage to the older man.

“Good evening, I am Chigusa Enmei, one of Gojo family’s driver,” 

“Oh!” Utahime perks and bows back. “Good evening, Enmei-san,”

She did not look forward to being picked up by the Gojo clan’s family driver. Just how many surprises is she going to face this day? If there is something Gojo is best at doing, it is the lack of explanation of everything he does.  So irresponsible.  

Gojo calls her to get inside the car.

“Where are we going?” she asks, curious and confused as her eyes avert from the vehicle and to the man. Enmei-san gets in the car after putting her luggage inside the trunk.

“You’ll find it soon,” an empty reply.

Utahime finds it suspicious that he has been avoiding the question like plague. “You’ve been saying that for like hours!” 

Gojo didn’t add anything else and instead walks to her promptly and drags her arm but not with the absence of her protests.

“Seriously! Gojo where are we going?!” she demands and the car door shuts. Gojo sits next to her, eyes outside and avoiding her glares. She can tell that whatever he is thinking it’s either an inconvenience or something he hates doing as well. But Utahime has no clue what could it be

“We’re going to meet my family.” he deadpans, causing the woman next to him to quake in shock.

“YOUR WHAT NOW?” she gawks, one hand already reaching for the door to walk out when Gojo stops her, putting a hand over hers.

“Calm down Utahime. They can be a real pain in the ass but they don’t eat humans,” he assures as if it’s going to calm her down and change her mind. “I’m probably the last person who wants to go back home right now, but this needs to be done.” 

If there is anything she heard from those statements, it spells bad news.

“Why are we meeting them? What is this all about?!” 

"Well let's just say they have the answer to your question. You understand?" the corner of his mouth turns up. Yes, this is bad news.

“Gojo you-”

“Trust me on this,” Gojo smiles again, now with absolute certainty. Utahime hesitates but tries to reconsider. 

She has little to no idea what kind of people the Gojo clan members are. Judging their status, they must be some sort of nobilities, looking down on the commoners with big egos and as such. She doesn’t like that this is the only thing she could think of them since she’s not fond of judging people altogether but she also couldn’t stop comparing them to the Zenins since it is the only comparison she could grasp. 

And no, she doesn’t think that all of the members of the Gojo clan are like this idiot. If anything, he must be the black sheep of the family. 

“Fine! But you should tell me about them along our way!” 

She lets out a groan of impatience glaring daggers at the white-haired man next to her. The car engine starts and they depart, Enmei-san’s eyes focus on the road but surely he will hear their conversation, not that he will pay heed.

“Let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of my clan as a whole. But there are few, selected family members that I trust enough.”

Utahime nods, not surprised at the first statement. So her assumption is right, Gojo is not fond of his family. But how dare he take her to them without any proper innuendo, this is like being fed to the wolves!

Along their trip, Gojo starts by a brief background of his clan, and who is going to meet them once they arrive, saying they have more or like 40 minutes before getting there. Utahime nods despite thinking that it is stupid to not be informed about this whole rendezvous earlier. She could have been more prepared. Stupid Gojo.

“....now for the person-in-charge of the Gojo clan, she’s none other than my older sister, Koharu.”

“You have a sister?” if surprises could kill, she’ll be dead by now. Utahime has never heard about Gojo having an older sister. All these years she thought he’s an only child which was idiotic on her part- if she’s being honest. 

Gojo grins, seeing how it piqued her interest. “Untamed and no-nonsense. Your typical role model eldest daughter. Koharu-nee is easy to talk with, just don’t get on her nerves.” 

That doesn’t sound good based on Utahime’s judgment. But she somehow expects it anyway. It sounds pathetic, however. She’s not here to please some unknown woman, she doesn’t care which clan they belong to. She is here because she wants to know the whole reason why Gojo is hell-bent to take her and maybe more about their clan’s enemies which she hopes won’t affect her too much and the child in her womb.

“In short, she's the one saving you from your responsibility as the heir,” Utahime quips, glimpsing at the car window to see the city lights.

He laughs, not denying the truth in that.

“That’s all I can say for now,”

“What?!” she snaps her head at him. “Not even telling me what we are going to talk about in there?” 

Utahime’s impatience only grows along the ride, with Gojo declining to say more about his clan. “How did you even become a teacher with your sucky explanations?” she groans. They reach a large, empty estate far from the bustling part of Tokyo and that’s when Utahime turns quiet, merely observing the surrounding trees and moonlight from the sky around thick dark clouds. It has an eerie feeling and she can only hear the car engine in the quietude especially when it makes a sharp turn towards a slope. They are nearing the mountains.

The car slows down after an hour and Utahime peers into the darkness until she finally sees a light on the horizon. Looks like they are already in the place.

“We’re here,” Gojo declares when the car stops and goes outside. Utahime follows from the other door of the vehicle and thanked Enmei and took her luggage from the trunk.

It is still quite dark even with the warm light coming from a couple of street lights near the mansion. Utahime studies the area as a chilly breeze caresses her face. In front of them stands a massive Japanese traditional mansion that appears to have existed for hundreds of years, way before they’ve existed in the world they live in. It reminds her of the time she was still a shrine maiden in her homeland.

She glances to say something  but halts after seeing that the man’s face turns stiff and cold. What’s wrong with him?  He looks like an entirely different man from that face, not moving and showing interest in coming home at all.

“Gojo…?” 

“Right,” in a second soon as she calls him, his demeanor changes and shifts into his normal self. “Let’s get inside.” he fakes a smile but Utahime can read his act.

The stillness around the ancestral house is giving her the creeps, something that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Utahime can sense the sheer aura of the area given that the people living here are some of the finest sorcerers in the world. Enmei walks before them, leading them where the mistress of the house awaits. Lanterns hang on the walkways giving an ample amount of light on their way. Such a massive home but empty and silent like a graveyard. 

She can also feel an indistinct feeling, like she’s being persecuted, asking her to get out. Unknowingly, she reaches for her abdomen and Gojo takes notice of this.

He puts his hand over her shoulder taking her heed.

“Anything wrong?”  he still has this weird seriousness on his face.

“I can feel something,” 

“Something like?” 

“I couldn’t figure it out.”

“Hmm,” Gojo puts a hand over his chin. “That must be it then,”

“The what?” she is once again impatient to know what is the mystery behind those words.

They set foot in front of a wide sliding door. Enmei bows before leaving and Gojo sighs, not in relief but more in exhaustion.

“Is being here that tiring to you?” she asks, now with the same curiosity. “You don’t look so happy being home.”

“Told you, I don’t like being here,” he grumbles and yawns, Utahime almost lets out a laugh at his reaction when all of a sudden, the door slides open, lights start to appear out of nowhere leaving her in awe. From inside, a person speaks.

“Welcome home, Satoru,” an assertive voice coming from a woman. Regardless of the words spoken, it is laced with disapproval and Utahime did not fail to detect this. 

Gojo steps inside and Utahime warily follows. She blinks at the furniture on the sides; extravagant and bizarre paintings, scrolls inside glass cases, and ancient weaponry. For a moment she thought she’s inside a museum.

From the top table, a beautiful woman with long black hair, dark as the night, wearing a dark blue elaborate kimono waits for them. In her right fingers is a tobacco pipe and Utahime makes a sour face, she has always been against smoking. The more they get near to the woman, the more she can smell it. 

“Forgive me, I shouldn’t have smoked around a pregnant woman,” Koharu says lazily, her beautiful dark eyes taking a quick look at them, and stops smoking in an instant.

“You told her?” Utahime accuses correctly, turning at Gojo. He didn’t even flinch at her words like he didn’t hear her at all, eyes directly at his sister.

“Satoru told me everything,” Koharu remarks, eyes averting at her and then at her brother. Her dark eyes are like bottomless chasms. Emotionless and intimidating. Does everyone in the Gojo clan have distinct eyes? Utahime ponders at the back of her mind, and no matter how she tries, she cannot see the similarities of the siblings.

“Have a seat, the two of you,” she gestures for them to the zabuton.

“How is everything going, big sister?” Gojo greets with a cheeky grin like a child would do before plopping down. Utahime sits next to him wordlessly, sensing a restless air in the room.

“Better. Not until you decide to put a bun in that woman’s oven and we are suddenly reminded by how irresponsible you are as a person.” the older of two scolds. 

“Excuse me?” Utahime squints, not like the first part of that statement. She doesn’t care about the second part though. “It was a one-time thing! And we were drugged!” she defends, arms flailing.

Koharu doesn’t mind the complaints and only stares at her face. Utahime decides she doesn’t like the sharpness of this woman’s tongue, talking like she’s not in the room with them. The smell from tobacco earlier still bugs her nose from their proximity.

A scar on her face?  the older woman hums and looks at her from head to toe, as though dissecting her very being, which Utahime finds uncomfortable and disrespectful. 

Gee, is everyone in this damned clan sort of an asshole?

“Seems like you have been through a lot,” Koharu’s red lips twitch ever so slightly, and turns to Gojo. “She might get alive if she’s lucky.” 

“Seriously, what’s with both of you?” Utahime glowers, impatience on its limit. “I just want to know why we are here! I don’t care what you think of me, I want to know what you are talking about!” 

The siblings remain silent and Utahime finds it infuriating that she’s being left hanging for too long.

“Now let’s get into the business,” Kohaku speaks, and the mood shifts. The no-nonsense woman Gojo spoke of.

“Our clan has been around for hundreds of years. Being the descendant of the great vengeful spirit, Sugawara no Michizane, a lot was expected of us. As you know, Satoru possesses both limitless, the clan’s most powerful ability and the six eyes. People like my brother are only born every 100 years.”

Utahime knows that fact already but continues to listen, half eager and half worried because Gojo has never been this quiet before when someone is speaking. He surely shifts his gear when it comes to his family. 

“For over the years, we have come to know the law of natural order.” there is a brief pause before Koharu continues. “That there is a price for everything you take. If you take more than what's needed, eventually you will pay for it with the equal price.”

Next to her, Gojo does not react. She has a little idea where Koharu is coming from but wants to brush it off. 

“There is a divine rule that our clan follows, it is not under our control, like how trees grow or how the rain pours. How the sun shines in the day and the moon shows itself at night. A natural order.” the woman continues.

A price for everything you take…?

No, it couldn’t be….

She anticipates what Koharu will say is not something she will like on the way she’s treading her words carefully. Then, the woman’s dark eyes landed on her stomach, finalizing her worries.

Utahime’s heart sank at Koharu’s next explanation.

“There is a high chance that the child you’re carrying will bring disaster not just to the Gojo clan but to all sorcerers around the world. The thing is, as long as it’s inside you-”

“What are you talking about?!” Utahime stands, fists curling and fuming. “Are you saying that I should just kill my child as the payment?!” she thunders and Gojo instantly turns to her.

“Utahime-”

“Let me go!” she slaps his hand away. “Isn’t this your child too? Are you fine with this? An innocent being getting dragged into your family’s curse? For what reason we’ve been helping people against curses when you can’t even save your own blood!” 

“This is the reason why I brought you here, for you to know, and for us to find out what we should do about it,” Gojo responds calmly. Seeing that Utahime is on the verge of crumbling because of this makes him feel a different kind of guilt. 

Utahime is still glaring but thankfully, her rational side of the brain is still functioning and she avoids any action that she might regret later on. 

“As I was saying,” Koharu speaks again, taking their attention. “An unknown energy from the child won’t allow us to remove it from you. If we try anything and consider that we anger it…..then….” 

A sigh escapes from her lips and Gojo does the honor of continuing her words.

“You will die, Utahime.” 

Chapter Text

"The first incident started back in the Keicho period. It was a period of instability for the sorcerers with everyone wanting to surpass each other. There were constant wars between the sorcerer clans. Ambitious as he was, our ancestor, a former clan head and a Limitless Cursed Technique user, made a pact with the cursed spirit of Sugawara to grant him additional power to defeat his opponents, and from there, our clan obtained the Six Eyes. Years later, he battled with the Zenin clan head until their last breaths, at least, that’s what the historical accounts want you to know,” Koharu tells.

Utahime’s mind is in shambles from what she heard from Gojo a few seconds ago. The danger of her pregnancy for carrying a child of unknown energy and the possibility of her death - all of these and yet she continues to listen. After all, what choice does she have?

 She heard that story from Mai when they were sharing stories during dinner time back in Kyoto when the students opened up more about their childhood and family.

“The Gojo clan head survived that fight, successfully defeating the Zenin, with grave injuries but alive.”

“You mean, that story was a lie? But why?” Utahime voices out.

“It was to cover the truth about what happened to our clan head.” Gojo answers. “His child was born a year after he made the pact with Sugawara. There were many cases of mysterious disappearances not just of sorcerers and also cursed entities after the child was born. Because of that, the clan started to believe that it was the punishment of the heavens for making a pact and the price of Sugawara’s gift.”

“Then that means...the clan head’s death…” Utahime hesitates to say what’s on her mind, realizing the horrifying truth behind it. 

“Not long after, he was killed by his child.” Gojo goes on. “Not just him, but several family members were unable to stop that child and were killed as well. Whether what the method of killing, no one was able to tell.” he straightens up, hands in his pockets. “Before the ruckus erupted outside, they decided to take a drastic action and put an end to the source of their mischief,” he says with downcast eyes.

Utahime gulps and subconsciously dips her head.

“Knowing the magnitude of threat and shame if anyone was to know what happened to the clan head and the potential of someone from the Gojo clan to wipe both the cursed entities and the sorcerers, the family decided to fabricate the story of his death - that he was killed on his fight with the Zenin.” Koharu adds. “According to the records, that child was still in their teens, had an uncontrollable unidentified energy, and was supposed to be the next heir, a high indication that they are the eldest child.” 

Utahime shuts the fusuma close, thinking about the whole conversation earlier. She was ushered by a young servant to a room where she will stay for the night. The night is already deep and although she isn’t very much looking forward to staying in the Gojo mansion, it will be a hassle to try to argue with Gojo just for her to ask him to drop her anywhere back in the city metro. 

She leans on a wall pondering about what she learned about the Gojo clan’s history with the Six Eyes’ pact and Koharu’s words;

The best thing we can do right now is for you to be under Satoru and I’s surveillance until you give birth to the child. After that, the clan will decide their fate.

She clenches her fists involuntarily, knowing that she cannot do anything about it. If the child is a threat not just to one clan but to every sorcerer in the world, she must look at the bigger picture and consider the consequences of their decision. Utahime puts her hands on her face and sighs. It’s been a long day. But she also knows that this is just the beginning.

She worked so hard to keep her students safe, taking care of them, being there when they need her, and yet, here she is - unable to defend her own child’s fate. Utahime remembers her words when she lashes out at Gojo; ...... you can’t even save your own blood!   realizing she’s no different from him now.

Maybe I was too harsh to him…

She brings her hands on her face again and groans.  I should apologize tomorrow. 

Guilt creeps in her veins making her face flush. She has never done that thing before, this must be the first time she thinks of apologizing to Gojo. Utahime feels how her cheeks are starting to get hot at the thought of her sincerely saying sorry in front of him and did her best to shake her thoughts when she notices the room she’ll be staying in for the night. 

She can tell that it is bigger than most rooms in the mansion with a huge bed and it even has its private bathroom. Feeling sleepy, she drops her luggage next to the short-legged table and crawls on the bed. Just then, all her exhaustion manifests from her body. It didn’t take too long for her to fall asleep.

Come morning, Utahime wakes up with the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Too tired to open her eyes, she turns her body on the other side when the presence of another person too close to invading her personal space causes her eyes to flutter wide open.

“Good morning, mother of my child!” Gojo, lying next to her, greets with his usual playful self. He wears a blue yukata, hair dripping wet like he had just finished shower and his chest slightly exposed. 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Utahime screams grabbing one of the bigger pillows and slams the idiot or at least she attempts because Gojo’s arm blocks it mid-air. 

“It’s so early in the morning, don’t shout like that, it’s just me.” he jumps off  while Utahime yanks herself to sit. 

“I screamed because it’s you!” she shouts again, her hair in a mess and still in her clothes from yesterday.

“Sheesh, you mean you prefer another man next to you?” he pouts, Utahime doesn’t know whether it was an honest pout or he’s just messing up with her but it’s more or less the latter.

“Shut up! And why are you even here?” she pulls the blanket around her. The bed is big enough for four people, how did he even get too close to her like that? Did he sleep in the same room with her? 

“This is my room, of course, I’ll sleep here,” Gojo answers her unspoken question.

“What? But...you didn’t--!”

“I only told Enmei-san and Koharu-nee about my arrival so the servants didn’t prepare a room for you,”

Utahime rolls her eyes, disappointed but not surprised. Still, the thought of him sleeping next to her bugs her.

“Come on Utahime, we already had se-”

Before Gojo could continue, Utahime threw another pillow, cutting him off guard. He doesn’t have the limitless activated and it slams right into his face.

“Y-you idiot!” her face as red as cherries and annoyed to the bones. 

Utahime’s reaction to his teasings has been truly entertaining but the recent events kind of give him quite the guilt to be amused this time.  Maybe it would be bad for the baby.  He reminds himself.

“How did you sleep?”

She tears her eyes from him and turns to her luggage to rummage its contents. “The fatigue helped me sleep but the energy around this house is bugging me. Must be the spirit of your ancestors that was killed by the child,” she replies, pulling a new set of clothes together with a medium-sized pouch.

“That must be it,” he agrees with a nod. “We can leave immediately once you’re ready. I’ll change my clothes and wait for you in the courtyard, kay?” Gojo suggests, thinking that staying longer in their home around the spirit of his disappointed ancestors will be too much for Utahime. The last thing he wants to happen is her getting sick.

“Fine by me,” she responds and goes to the bathroom on the opposite side of the room.

The sun was already shining by the time she finished showering. Gojo is out of sight, leaving her alone in the room. Curiously, she peeks outside the windows and sees a massive, stunning garden filled with different types of plants. Utahime looks around inside and has a good look at the surrounding. The Gojo clan with troubling secrets here and there aside, that guy surely lived a life far from what she had. She did not come from a notable sorcerer clan, just a girl who got talent living in the countryside, she was a priestess in a small village while Gojo, is an heir to a prominent family with endless influences and prestige.

Utahime brushes off her thoughts, why is she suddenly thinking of their status' differences now? 

Instead of letting her mind continue wandering off, she hurried to get dressed and finally leave the room. Luggage in hand, Utahime blinks at the hallway, not knowing the right way to the courtyard. She picks up her phone to call him but it only keeps ringing.  That reminds me, I haven’t apologized to him yet . She remembers and sighs. To satisfy her conscience, she will need to have the perfect opportunity to apologize later. 

Utahime saunters aimlessly as she keeps her phone close to her ear until she hears the voice of a boy laughing and shouting from the vast open field near the end of the hallway. She stops and gazes at the black-haired boy around 11-12 years of age, holding a baseball bat and wearing a complete baseball attire.

“This time, I am going to hit it!” the boy says proudly, his dark eyes glimmering with excitement positioning himself to hit the ball. From the opposite end, Gojo plays as the pitcher grinning with the ball in his hand. 

“More like you won’t know what will hit you, Yoshio,” he jests, making the boy flinch in both exhilaration and nervousness.

“Here I go!” Gojo poses to pitch but soon stops after noticing Utahime’s presence.

The boy follows his gaze and stares at the woman dumbly. She moves close to them sliding the phone back into her pocket. 

“I was calling you,” she informs the man and gives the boy a warm smile.

“Ah, I was playing with this kid,” Gojo approaches the boy and shuffles the mop of his hair. “He’s Yoshio, Koharu-nee’s son and my favorite nephew,”

“It’s because I am his only nephew,” Yoshio grumbles, squinting at his uncle. “Ah! So it’s you! Iori Utahime, ojisan’s woman!” the boy chirps, pointing a finger at her.

Utahime’s smile immediately turns into a frown. “W-wha...actually I am uh ..” what is she going to tell him? Now that they accidentally have a child together and that she will be stuck with the man for nine more months, what is Gojo and hers’ relationship now? Stammering because she doesn’t have the right word for it, Utahime looks at Gojo to distract the boy.

“Alright, let’s continue our little baseball game next time,” Gojo returns the ball.

“Whaat? I bet it’s gonna be another year before you come home again,” Yoshio whines, frustrated, accepting the ball.

“We can always meet somewhere, not here of course,” the man grins, shuffling his hair once again.

“That’s a promise?”

“I promise,” Gojo smiles and takes the luggage from Utahime.

Yoshio makes a happy dance as he walks with the two adults. Utahime and the boy have a short conversation about their common love for baseball when a servant fetches him to attend his lessons.

“Ah crap! I made mother wait!” there is a real fear in Yoshio’s eyes which Utahime finds amusing. She wonders if Gojo was the same back when he was still Yoshio’s age. 

“If I were you, I’d be running as fast as I can before my sister runs out of patience,” Gojo says as a matter of factl-y making Utahime cover her mouth to hide her laughter. 

“I-I must go! It was nice meeting you, Utahime-san!” the boy bows deeply.

“Nice meeting you too, Yoshio-kun. Good luck on your studies.” she waves him goodbye before they separate.

Enmei-san walks in and escorts them to the parking lot. It was dark when they arrived yesterday and Utahime is only appreciating the beauty of the place now. 

“Koharu must be a scary teacher,” she comments, studying the area. 

“You bet,” Gojo chuckles. “Yoshio is under the tutelage of three tutors but there are subjects that Koharu-nee wants to teach him herself,”

“Is he the only child?”

“Yes, and the chosen heir next to me,” he puts on his sunglasses. “That’s why he needs to learn a lot of things. He’s a smart boy, I’m sure he’ll get there.”

Utahime is reminded of what happened yesterday. That’s right, being the wielder of both Limitless and the price of Six Eyes, the clan has accepted that they won’t be having any heirs from him. So the decision to get an heir from his older sister makes a lot of sense, logically speaking, for the stability of the clan.

Once they get inside the car and depart from the mansion, Gojo tells her something she has been contemplating.

“It’s safer if only a few trusted people know our situation but I’m thinking we should tell Shoko about this.” he proposes. “She’s close to us and her medical knowledge on your condition will be a great help.”

Utahime does not have anything against it. She’s been thinking of revealing it to her best friend as soon as she stepped into Tokyo. Her only worry is Shoko’s reaction to the bombshell of a revelation that they are going to uncover.

“Let’s tell her.”

After almost an hour of the car ride, Enmei-san drops them near a familiar looking building - Gojo’s apartment. He informed her that Koharu had prepared a unit near his for her to live in. So much for this strict surveillance thing going on between them. Just a month ago, she swears that she hates this man and now they are forced to live closer because she’s carrying his child. Fate has a weird sense of humor.

Utahime’s unit is located next to Gojo’s on the 5th floor of a 12 story building. 

“Tadaa! Welcome to your new home!” Gojo announces entering the unit. 

She is surprised to see that almost everything has been settled including the furniture, essentials, and cooking materials. The unit has a simple but calming atmosphere, and it seems like Koharu can read exactly what kind of woman she is from Gojo’s description of her. 

While Utahime transfers her things from her luggage to the cabinet, Gojo keeps on explaining animatedly where to find which and what to do when an emergency comes like she’s a student of his. But she is sure that he isn’t very good at guiding his students so it is laughable to think that he is acting this way. Normally she would get pissed off noting that she is older than him and that such a thing is inappropriate but this time, Utahime listens, recognizing that Gojo is taking responsibility for something he did not intend to happen.

“Gojo,” she calls, taking his attention. “I want to….apologize for what I said yesterday,”

Gojo turns silent, blankly looking at her. The atmosphere between them turns gloomy. 

“I shouldn’t have said those things to you. Neither of us wanted this and I feel bad that I turn all the blame to you so….” she gulps, this is harder than she thought. 

“Hah?” he tilts his head in confusion after her pause, breaking the atmosphere. “Whatever it is, I forgot all about it.” and lies down on her bed.

Utahime’s irritation is back on track feeling embarrassed that her apology got ignored. She grunts and says words of annoyance swearing it will be the first and last time she is going to apologize to him. Gojo just laughs it off and pretends he didn’t hear her.

“Get off my bed!” she pushes his still body but Gojo didn’t move an inch. 

“Relax, I’m testing if the bed is comfortable enough for the mother of my child.”

“Will you quit calling me like that?!”

“What should I call you then?” Gojo looks at her blushing face, her hands on his chest, trying to push him off the bed. “Careful, you might get addicted to touching me,” he smirks maliciously and Utahime slaps his arm.

“Gross!” she makes a sour face and he bursts out a laugh. “Let me get this straight, I am not your woman!” Utahime presses before going back to arrange her stuff and sits on the floor. She still has more important things to do right now than banter with a giant idiot. 

“Hey,” Gojo rolls with his head drooping at the edge of the bed near Utahime’s back.

“I am busy, go back to your unit.” she continues to fold her clothes.

“You mad?”

“Gojo, I am busy,”

“We’re faking being engaged, at least call me Satoru,”

Utahime stops and glares at him. “You know if I don’t know you, I would think you’re flirting with me.”

He puts the back of his hands on his chin and looks at her vividly, their faces are inches closer. She turns around again and continues what she’s doing when Gojo says something that loses her composure.

“And what if I am?” 

Part of her quivers from those words and another part convinces her that he is only making fun of her. However, Utahime fears to look directly at his face and so she remains frozen to the ground, a piece of cloth in her tight grasp as her heartbeat raced. She wants to cut the tension and waits until Gojo laughs and declares that it is only a joke. She wants him to assure her that it is just a tease. But it didn’t happen. 

Utahime clears her throat and takes her pouch with her before leaving the room.

“Where are you going?” Gojo asks, on his way to follow her. 

“How about let’s meet up with Shoko today? I’ll call her first,” Utahime faces her back at him and talks with Shoko over the phone. It is a way of changing the subject matter, yes, but she also wants to meet her friend and admit the truth about her once and for all. 

Gojo waits while eyeing her, all the while rewinding her words before.

I am not your woman!

He snickers at his thoughts and mutters to himself.

“.....yet.”

Chapter Text

At the crack of dawn, the key members of the Gojo family hold an urgent assembly to discuss a certain, emergency matter. There are around six of them sitting around an oval-shaped table large enough to hold fifteen people. Everyone is wearing a venerable attire, either a kimono or a suit, according to their liking. 

“This is outrageous! What was Satoru thinking?!” a man in his late fifties bangs his fist on the wooden table, gritting his teeth in anger. Next to him sits a young woman about trying to ease him down.

“I’ve heard Koharu already talked to him. If so, maybe we should have invited her to this meeting.” another man with a bored expression calmly states and sips a cup of tea.

A beautiful woman with cleavage giggles. “Isn’t it too late for us to do that? We started a meeting without the clan head, isn’t that a bit suspicious?”

“Koharu is only an in-charge, Satoru is the heir to be.” another voice speaks.

“Silence!” the angry man shouts. “If he’s to be the one who will lead this family then he shouldn't have acted rashly! We must solve this problem quickly!”

A good-looking younger man shifts from his seat with a venomous smile on his lips. "This woman, who is she?”

“Knowing Satoru, it was probably a one night stand.” the beautiful provocative woman says while checking her nails, earning a questioning look from the other members. “What? I only said the truth.” she defends.

Another man knocks the table twice, appearing to have a calmer and dignified air around him than the others. He’s a man in his early 50’s wearing a black kimono.

“I understand the concern coming from all of us here but if Koharu already handled it then the only thing we can do right now is to wait for her to inform us on their plan.”

“Don’t you forget what happened in the Keicho era, Masataka,” warns the hot headed man, staring at Masataka. “We cannot allow history to repeat itself. If the Zenin and the Kamo household discovered the Six Eyes’ pact, it might cause us our downfall.” 

Silence engulfs the room, the tight overtone worsens, until the oldest man steps in, taking everyone’s attention. Beside him is a bodyguard with a samurai sword and a mark of ‘x’ on his face.

“Patience Shigeo,” the old man with white hair enters and everyone stands to pay respect. “It’s too much of a risk if we don’t consider Satoru’s feelings about this.”

“B-but father…” Shigeo rebuts. “That child is a devil!”

The oldest member of the Gojo clan sits at the chair assigned to him, the bodyguard helping him. “I talked to Koharu before going here. She said they have decided to keep the child until the woman gives birth. After that, the final decision will take place in this very room and it will be for us to decide its destiny.”

“What?!” Shigeo stands, unable to contain his frustrations. “Are we going to wait until that child becomes powerful enough to crush our clan?!” 

“Last time I checked, babies can’t kill a man, Shigeo,” the only woman among the council sneers and is rewarded by a glare coming from the man. “If father agrees with Koharu, then I’m on their side. Satoru is one spoiled kid but that doesn’t change that he is the heir of the Gojo clan, besides, he got the Six Eyes and it is his child. Surely he can stop its rampage before it happens, before the child gets into adulthood, we can kill it.”

“I agree with father and Naomi,” the calmer man says. “Letting the woman give birth first before we decide what we do to that child doesn’t mean we are allowing it to live. We all know that we cannot touch that child without harming the woman and supposed that this woman is an important person to Satoru, isn’t that going against the clan head’s will?" 

Shigeo tries his hardest to control his temper, knowing that he’s at a disadvantage. This won’t work. Their father has always favored Satoru over them, that brat who only gets attention because he is the family’s precious gifted child. Shigeo growls and walks out.

“Please excuse my father, I’ll take care of him,” the younger man excuses himself and follows his father.

“Father,” he calls, walking beside the still fuming Shigeo.

“We need to act without them, Tatsuya.” the man responds, eyes squinting. “If that child is to be born and the council decides to keep it…”  No, I won’t allow it. The only way for us to maintain the grasp that we have in this clan is by cutting out any blockages.

“Leave it to my care, father.” Tatsuya urges. “I’ll see to it that Satoru won’t bring disaster in our clan.” an evil smirk appears on his lips.

Shigeo halts as a plan brews in his mind. Obliterating their enemies has been long-time expertise of the Gojo clan and now is the time to make use of it.  

“Forget about Satoru, it’s that woman we are going after,” 

There is a new cafe a few blocks away from their apartment, a cozy, quiet one where they can meet up with Shoko. The woman stares at her friend unflinching as if Utahime asks for both of her kidneys. Earlier they ordered three cups of coffee and slices of strawberry cakes which Gojo happily gobbles uncaringly.

“Shoko, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you right away. It’s not my intention to lie to you.” Utahime clasps her hands next to her chest with apologetic eyes, leaning closer at Shoko from the other side of the table. 

Shoko puts a hand over her cheek and looks outside, rewinding everything Gojo and Utahime said. She can feel a massive headache coming thinking about it.  What on earth did I just?    It takes a good minute before she speaks again. “I...need a moment to digest everything,”

“But you haven’t touched your cake yet!” Gojo points his fork to her cake and Utahime pinches his side. This makes her wonder who is the pregnant one between them.

“And the one who drugged your drink that night…” Shoko looks at Utahime. 

“I have the impression they’re not professionals,” Gojo massages his side. “I asked Ijichi to investigate right after the incident. Oddly enough, it’s hard to find any trace of this person.”

“Them being not professionals have some drawbacks, if they are, it will be easier,” Utahime says. “Do you think that person has something to do with the enemies of your clan?” 

“It’s far-fetched to guess. Then again, it seems that the target that night was me.” he stabs Utahime’s cake and starts eating it. “And it’s weird if their only way of vengeance is through a drug, not even a poison.”

“Did you mess up someone before? I feel like that person just wants to annoy you back.” Shoko sighs. In any way, they are sure that the person did not originally intend to kill him considering they did not use poison. “What they did have caused the two of you some serious trouble, especially Utahime,” they told her everything including the Six Eyes’ pact which worries her to no end. Right now they can only wait and see until she gives birth.

“I’ll make sure to find them,” he finished the second slice in no time. “And let them pay for their sins,”

“Don’t you forget to make them face me, I’ll make sure to-” Utahime’s phone rings, and her eyes grow after checking it. “It’s Nishimiya, I’ll just take this call, please excuse me.” she hurriedly goes outside to talk with her students over the phone and Gojo follows her with his eyes between a clear window.

“You must be very worried. To think that the Gojo clan has a deep, dark secret.” Shoko says quietly, sipping a cup of coffee. Gojo and her were in the same team before so she knows what kind of shady family the Gojo clan can be and still, it leaves her speechless. 

Gojo continues to watch Utahime from outside. Silently protecting her in case she let her guard down. She is carrying his child and who knows what kind of enemy might be lurking in the shadows to find the perfect opportunity.

“As the child grows in her womb, Utahime will also possess their unknown energy,” Shoko states, realizing that the unborn child is a bigger threat than she had anticipated. 

He glances at her. “They can kill one of us or both of us, it depends on how we handle the situation. There’s the very little basis we can gather. The records of my family didn’t have the full details about the child’s energy. Were they provoked to kill? Or were they treated badly that they end up hating the clan? We don’t have the answer to that.” Gojo remarks, playing with the fork in his fingers. Utahime chose to keep the child for all-cause, something he doesn’t go against with. But his clan will get in the way once they proved to be a threat and it will leave him with no other choice but to do what they must. 

“I only ask one thing from you,” Shoko looks at Utahime. “...but please do everything to spare Utahime’s life from this,” she asks, Utahime is her best friend and she knows that more than anyone, Gojo is the one who will suffer a great amount of remorse if Utahime died because of the child. 

“Don't worry, you can leave it to me,” he swears, flashing a conceited smile.

Even so, Shoko can see the agitation between his words.  

2:00 am

“Uhhgg,”

Utahime turns her body on another side for the nth time. The darkness and cold weather are not helping at all. Sleep is nowhere to be found. She’s been having difficulty sleeping for the past three days. At first, she thought it’s only an adjustment period, that maybe she would get used to her new home very soon but Utahime knows that she isn’t the type who will have a hard time adjusting to a new place. Shoko tells her that the first trimester will be the hardest, that her hormones will alter, nausea in the morning may or may not get worse depends on how her body reacts to it, she is going to feel tired more than usual, and then weird cravings, also sometimes loss of appetite - the list goes on.

She has been having a strange craving for sweets recently, particularly mochis, mostly sugary products. It’s not that she’s not a fan of sweets, she likes it, but not to the point that she can treat it like a meal and eat it from morning till night. She knows that’s unhealthy and that she must have a balanced diet. So far, she’s been meticulous about what she eats, as much as possible she picks what is fresh and natural. The amount of food she consumes is starting to get doubled her standard portion but even so, she finds herself craving more. Shoko always checks up on her, via text or call every day to remind her of her vitamins and if she has some questions, she’s always there to quickly respond.

Going back to the present, Utahime takes her phone and checks her SNS. She peers at the darkness as her vision adjusts to the phone screen’s light. She quietly browses when suddenly the phone rings, causing her to jolt in surprise and quickly take the call.

“You awake?” it is Gojo, of course, it has to be him. He’s the only one insane enough to call someone at 2 am. 

“How did you- nevermind.” Utahime sighs, the only answer must be ‘because Shoko told him’

“Can’t sleep huh? I’m on my way home, just finished a pep talk with my students.” it is quiet on the other line and Utahime assumes he’s inside a car. Gojo told her that the Tokyo faculty has been very busy lately, dealing with numerous cases left and right, the sorcerers are also short staffed as of the moment. 

“I’ve been trying to, for the last three hours..”

Gojo hears a shuffling of fabric and then a sound of a fridge opening, then water pouring in a glass. Yep, she totally cannot sleep.

“Wanna hang?”

“At this hour?” Utahime drinks, the water soothing her throat. Hoping that it will calm her nerves and let her sleep soon.

“Your place, I’ll make sure to bring beer!” he jokes.

“Very funny,” she leans and walks to the living room and sits on the couch.

"Anything you want?" 

"I'm fine, just get your drink or whatever,"

"Alright~" 

“I’ll wait but don’t blame me if I fall asleep,” she says and turns on the television to watch some show as she waits for him to come.

“Sure thing,” Gojo replies. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” 

True to his words (thanks to teleportation) Gojo appears in front of her door at exactly fifteen minutes. Utahime opens it for him to enter and she is greeted by a teasing snigger as Gojo raises two cans of beer. Blindfolded bastard.

“Alcohol can’t entice me now,” Utahime plops down on the couch and Gojo removes his blindfold letting his hair down after sitting on the couch adjacent to hers. 

“As if I’m letting you have one,” he opens a can of beer and starts drinking.

A baseball game between some European countries is being shown on television. 

“How’re your students? I heard they’ve dealt with a special grade, are they okay now?” Utahime asks concernedly. She’s always curious when it comes to the students.

“Mhm, so far they’re good now. Talked to them about it earlier.” Gojo crosses his legs in a more comfortable position, eyes on the tv. “How is it going for the Kyoto students?”

Utahime thinks about her last conversation with Miwa and Nishimiya. “About the mole,” she starts and Gojo turns his full attention to her. “I figured it out.”

“I see,” he nods then continues watching again. “Who is it?”

She’s disheartened but there is no way she could be wrong on her suspicions. Utahime only listens to her students’ day to day reports until she finds something peculiar about one student. None of them knows that she’s been investigating them through their stories which gives her a sense of guilt that she treated everyone as a suspect. But it has to be done until the danger unfolds

“Mechamaru,” she reveals, sadness in her eyes appears.

Gojo reaches for another can and opens it with a flick. “Is that what’s troubling you lately?” 

Utahime did not respond but somehow, Gojo already knew the answer. It’s one of the things that is causing her distress, making her unable to sleep peacefully at night. He understands for he is also a teacher who is concerned about his students’ well being and to discover that they are secretly a threat to what they are supposed to protect, it will make him anxious as well. 

“It’s hard but try not to think of it too much. It’s bad for your health, Utahime.” he needs to do something about the mole that won’t stress her too much. That is if he truly wants her to feel at ease which will positively impact hers and the child’s health. 

They watch the game in silence with neither of them able to focus on what is on the television. Half of their minds worry over their lives and personal matters going on.

“Your family,” she mutters.

“Hm?” 

“I know you said you’re not a big fan of your family but..” she gives him a once over. “Can you tell me more about them?”

Gojo hums. If it’s not Utahime, he might reconsider talking about his family but she has seen some members of his clan and although it’s just the two closest family members to him, bearing in mind that it is atypical for him to bring someone home. Although he only did it with a great purpose. 

“My father and I didn’t get along until he died while my mother died giving birth to me.”

“........”

Utahime gapes and quickly looks down. That is such a bad idea for a topic. Seeing how she reacts, Gojo waves a hand as if to assure her that it’s fine.

“She was a sickly woman. I heard she suffered a lot when she had Koharu-nee. It was a difficult pregnancy giving birth to a child with immense cursed energy, limitless, and the six eyes. Everyone in the clan was glad to have me because who cares if a member of the clan died? As long as they have a gifted child who they can parade in society.” he says with a touch of thick sarcasm, drinking more of his drink.

“Gojo….”

“But not my father. He resented me. Koharu-nee did most of the job raising me,” he chuckles but there is sadness in his voice. “Going back, I should have given her more credit. A five-year-old girl raising her younger brother because their father neglected him. There was a lot of pressure as the clan’s head and my father wasn’t even the eldest son so traditionally, he wouldn’t inherit the position. By having me, the child who has the Six Eyes, our grandfather passed the leadership for him to one day give it to me.”

Utahime bats her lashes, listening carefully. 

“You bet not everyone in the clan liked that. Particularly uncle Shigeo who is the supposed heir. To cut it short, there is a fraction of the clan who is against me, the other part sees me as a weapon and the smallest bit is the only ones whom I can trust.” 

They once again fall into silence with only the sound of the television can be heard from the background. 

“Do you think a sufficient number of them would choose to let the child live?” she asks, placing a hand on her abdomen, worry filling her eyes.

That’s what she wants to know. That’s what she wants him to say. Gojo figures out. 

If he wants to be blunt, he will tell her directly that he doesn’t think so. Because as much as most of the clan members favors him, he cannot say the same for the child no matter how much he badly wants to. Gojo knows it will only hurt her and so he chooses not to speak.

“Our child, I want this child to live.” a quiet plea coming from Utahime. She has always been the mother figure to her students but what is the essence of it if she cannot be a mother to her child. 

Another set of the baseball game that they watch wordlessly. They share a comfortable silence with occasional movements such as drinking and adjusting their bodies on the couch. Until he notices that she has fallen asleep, a round pillow in between her arms and her hair is splayed on the arm of the couch where her upper body inclines. 

Gojo moves closer to Utahime. Her mouth is slightly open and a lock of her hair blocking her face. He slowly takes her arm for her to lean onto him and puts his arm on her back. He then slides his other arm under her legs to lift her up carefully and transfer her in the bedroom. Gojo lays her down gently.

It always amazes him how she’s still one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen and that her scar did not damage her beauty. Instead, it only adds her appeal, like the strong, independent woman she is. Gojo trails her face with his fingertips subconsciously, admiring her peaceful facade. He stops almost immediately, finding it wrong that he is touching her without permission. 

After making sure that the comforter is covering most of her body, Gojo leaves, closing the door with a soft click.

She feels rather lively today, a perfect day to buy essentials such as grocery shopping. Utahime ties her hair in a low ponytail, sporting a mint green long sleeve shirt and dark pants. She’s been pregnant for a month and not much is added to her weight but sooner or later, her lower belly will swell and most of her clothes won’t fit. 

This is why her first stop is to a department store. Gojo doesn’t usually let her go outside without him but because of his busy schedule, Utahime asks him to go out. He agrees on one condition and annoying as it may seem, Utahime understands his precautions: tell me your location every 20 mins.

“Wow, this one is cute!” she smiles, inspecting a pink long shirt. It’s a good thing that she’s into comfortable, loose clothes.

She spends an hour and a half probing the department store, picking dresses and pants while also updating Gojo on her whereabouts through a text. Utahime leaves the department with three pairs of new pants, a dress, and two shirts. She goes next to the grocery store but stops in a flash, noticing that something is off.

Utahime quickly scans the surrounding, many people are passing by on the busy streets and she stands near the entrance of the building. But she can’t be wrong about it. She is being watched.

A cursed energy nearby? One...two...no, just one? Or two people? 

She breathes out and presses her phone to send a message to Gojo. Her eyebrows creased seeing how there’s no signal.  A curtain? Since when?  Utahime looks around again and by some means, the number of people is lessened. 

What? 

There is no doubt, an enemy is prowling through the shadows of the civilians and she is left with no other choice but to face it alone.

“Looks like Satoru has a good taste after all,” amidst the sea people, an unfamiliar handsome man appears. He is as tall as Gojo but with black hair and gray eyes, the side of his mouth turns up, staring at her. 

“Who are you?!” Utahime readies herself in a fighting position. This guy is powerful enough to summon a curtain and judging his stance, he might be an exceptional sorcerer.

Gojo Tatsuya, Satoru’s one and true rival in the clan’s leadership, gives her his fakest smile. 

“Please allow me to bring peace into this world and take your life together with that devil inside you, Iori Utahime.”

Chapter Text

Link to Dangerously

Jujutsu High 

Yuuji has his mouth open as if he saw a meteor plummeting right into the building while Nobara shrieks like she steps on a poo wearing her favorite, limited-edition Gucci sneakers. Megumi on the other hand drops the book he is reading and stares into the void as if questioning his entire existence. The three of them forget how to breathe for a few seconds of silence before Nobara breaks it, unable to know the deets from a single revelation.

“Come again?!” her face perfectly imitates a ‘whatchu talkin bout willis?’ meme.

Meanwhile, their blindfolded sensei smiles simply, repeating the words that they have never thought of hearing from the man himself. “I said  I’m engaged .”

The three of them make unworldly noises and simultaneously demand elaboration. Yuuji  tries to get closer to Gojo just to hear him clearly, asking if it’s true and if the end of the world is near or if the dinosaurs are returning soon. 

“Who’s the unlucky woman?” Megumi shoves Yuuji back to his seat as he successfully steps forward to face the older man while Nobara and Yuuji are having their own discussion on who it can be. 

“Is it that woman who visited-” 

Gojo raises his hand before Yuuji continues. “I’ll make you meet her soon but first, let’s discuss your next mission.”

The students chorus a loud ‘“NO WAY!” and Gojo chuckles before discussing the details of their next missions. But the three cannot concentrate on the topic as their mind continues to wonder who on earth is insane enough to marry their Gojo-sensei. Granted, the man is exceptionally tall, handsome, and strong. Appearance-wise, he is such a catch. His paycheck as a Jujutsu High instructor being the most powerful sorcerer is not something to overlook, not to mention his family’s wealth. They’ve heard that the Gojo family is connected in several businesses across Japan, making them awfully well off. For these reasons, it isn’t that bad to have a man like him if one doesn’t consider his irksome habits and lack of manners.

Gojo checks his phone in the middle of his talking. It’s been twenty minutes since Utahime updated him of her location. The last thing she texted is that she’s going to a grocery store a few blocks from the mall.  Maybe she’s on her way.  He let another three minutes pass before checking his phone again.

“Sensei!” Yuuji raises his hand, beside him is a hysterical Nobara.

“When’s the wedding? What should I wear? What’s the motif? Will there be rich and classy men out there? Not saying I might get hitched with one of them but you get me,” Nobara spouts and Megumi rolls his eyes.

“Yeah! We need to know more!” Yuuji agrees. Frankly, he’s been looking forward to meeting more people he can befriend with. Quality of food comes to second. 

Gojo laughs at them, shaking his head. No doubt they don’t care about the things he said earlier. 

Another five minutes pass and he checks his phone again.  Hm?  Megumi perceives that he is expecting a message but mentally notes that it might be his fiancee. 

“Okay, that’s it for today. Good luck with your mission. The driver is waiting for you in the parking lot.” he presses his phone to call Utahime and his mouth turns to a frown after getting informed that it is out of reach.

“Gojo-sensei, one last question!” Yuuji raises his hand again together with Nobara.

“I have to go, something urgent came up,” he looks in a hurry and the student hesitates to stop him from going before answering their queries. 

He turns to go outside when Nanami enters the room. “Gojo-san, you have a visitor outside, I think it’s-”

In a rushed manner, Gojo puts a hand on the other man’s shoulder before he can continue. “Take charge of it, Nanami. I have something to do.” he smiles but another person barges inside, requesting his attention as well. 

“Gojo-san! I finally-” Kiyotaka is sweating rivulets and is panting heavily like a pack of wolves are coming for his ass.

Gojo breathes out exasperatedly, why does everyone need him in this critical time? Being the strongest surely has some drawbacks.

“Later!” he poofs, teleporting. Everyone in the room looks at each other left with unanswered questions and demands.

Utahime learned two things.

First is that this unknown enemy knows Gojo. The second is that he knows her condition. Leaving her to the conclusion that this guy is from the Gojo clan. No one aside from Shoko and Gojo’s family is aware of their situation and it makes sense.

“My apologies, where are my manners?” Tatsuya simpers noticing how Utahime stiffens where she stands but he also notices the sharpness of her gaze. A declaration that she’s about to fight him till the end which amuses him.

“I am Gojo Tatsuya, Satoru’s cousin. As you know, the family is currently facing some difficulties with regards to your,” he gestures his hand to her abdomen, and Utahime glares. “The curse of the Gojo clan, your unborn child.”

“Piss off.” Utahime snaps. She remembers how Gojo told her about the part of his clan that doesn’t favor him.  So this guy is one of them,  she thinks. “I won’t let you harm my child!”

Tatsuya snorts and shakes his head. “Mothers are truly wonderful creatures. They will do everything and anything to protect their children. But hear this, Iori-san.” a sharp wind passes by, tousling his dark raven hair. Suddenly the air is chilly and the people around them can now be counted with a single hand. “How can you sleep at night knowing you’re carrying a threat to sorcerers when you’re a sorcerer yourself?” his grey eyes turned to slits. 

From that, Utahime is convinced that the guy is bent to kill her. Her death would be the end of their family’s mess. It is the absolute solution to avoid the unnecessary danger that might come once the child is born. But she made a choice, a choice to save the other life inside her, not just because of personal interest but because she believes that every life is worth saving. At least let the child be born before they ultimately make up their mind if they are worthy to live. Give them a chance.  A chance is all she asks.

“It’s true that I think about that every night,” Utahime responds. “But there’s a likelihood that the child meant no harm! An innocent being, how could they harm someone?”

Tatsuya looks at her as if she’s being a fool. “It is the unknown energy that makes the child dangerous. It’s not about personality or characteristics, Iori-san. You’re aware that even you could be a victim of that child, isn’t that right?” he smirks. There’s a thick tone of manipulation in his voice and words. Tatsuya is a man who knows what needs to be done and how to do it and Utahime can see it. 

“That devil inside you can kill you, kill Satoru, and every sorcerer in the world. However, we cannot disturb it, who knows what it can do?” Tatsuya shrugs mockingly.

He’s asking me to kill myself.  Utahime glares at the man, ignoring the little voice that argues with her perception of the child. No matter how much she denies it, Tatsuya has a point. It might be not right but her death would mean saving a lot of people. Two people - her and the child, versus the lives of every sorcerer in the world, including Gojo. 

For the first time in her life, Utahime doubts the value of her life. Her mind spirals downwards realizing Tatsuya’s point. 

“So?” he walks towards her slowly, hands on his sides. “I’ll let you do it yourself.” he reaches for an ornamental dagger in his pocket and hands it to Utahime. The dagger’s handle is gold in color, decorated by gleaming rubies. 

A Cheshire smile plastered on his face. 

Utahime remains rooted in the ground, staring intensely at the dagger on the man’s hand. She has no intention to listen to this bastard but somehow, his words make their way and seep through her brain like venom, slowly but surely making her body numb with uncertainties. Inside her head is a surging storm unable to calm down. What’s happening? 

“Did you know?” Tatsuya tilts his head. “No matter what you do, that child is going to kill the Six Eyes user.”

She holds her breath, catching sight of Tatsuya’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Oh?” he pouts contemptuously. The way it mirrors Gojo’s pouts whenever she teases her is startling that it makes her twitch. “I see Koharu left that part,” he laughs with closed eyes. “Satoru’s birth altered the balance of the world. In return, that child in your womb exists to return that balance. It must first remove the cause of that alteration to do that. You see, Satoru is only protecting your death in an exchange of his.”

Utahime’s eyes widen. “That's not true!” she shouts. It can’t be. It can’t be that Gojo is hiding that fact from her. Why would he? Does this mean that one of them should die? Is there no other way for them to survive this? 

“I don’t hate you, Iori-san, but unfortunately you must make a sacrifice for the good of many. After all, what other reasons am I here for?”

If the child lives, he will die. If I die, I can save him . Utahime sweats thinking about it. She observes Tatsuya’s eyes, finding the truth within them.  He’s not lying . The air around them became heavy, the surroundings darkening and her psychological state breaking at the apprehension. It is as if everything around her lost its importance.  Gojo… suddenly an image of his death flashed in her mind: bloody, disfigured, lifeless body and her heart plunge.

Utahime reaches for the dagger, her brown eyes losing their light.

On the spur of the moment, Tatsuya senses that something disturbs his cursed energy and technique. He glances above and finds that the curtain has broken.

How?

He can’t feel the flow of his cursed energy.

A bright light shatters the curtain and a person lands like a shooting star, leaving wide cracks on the pavement, spanning several meters from where they stand, shaking the nearby buildings, and even destroying some of them. Gojo Satoru has arrived.

“TATSUYA!” he growls, a rare occurrence, with his vibrant blue eyes ablaze with fury. “LEAVE HER ALONE!” with gritted teeth, his cursed energy flows loosely around him as if some sort of demonic entity. 

Utahime returns to herself, snapping out of whatever spell Tatsuya had put her. She whips her head behind and finds Gojo. With the blink of an eye, he is next to her, making Tatsuya jump back.

“W-what happened?” she asks, turning her head around.  What the hell was that?  She checks her hands,  why can't I feel my cursed energy?  Even if it's faint because she isn’t fighting anyone, she should feel a hint of her own energy. But there isn’t. 

“You know very well,” Gojo speaks with a deep voice that makes Utahime fear him too. “I don’t like it when someone touches my things,” he warns. Utahime gawks at him.

“Hey-”

Tatsuya covers his mouth and giggles. “But I wasn’t even touching her.”

Gojo breathes out from his nose and scowls as he walks forward going to Tatsuya but Utahime holds his arm to stop him. 

“Gojo, the civilians are….” Now that the curtain has broken, the non-cursed energy users are going to see them and might be affected once a fight starts. But Gojo’s focus is nothing but Tatsuya. He has lost his cool and seeing it firsthand brings an indescribable fright to Utahime. 

Tatsuya is intelligent enough to understand that his plans, for now, have failed.  Was that this woman’s doing?  He is still confused about what caused the disturbance of his energy but this is not the time to ponder. For now, he has to back away. 

“I was only concerned with the well-being of our family, Satoru,” he smiles sheepishly. “It was nice talking to you, Iori-san.”

“Bastard,” Gojo swears under his breath as Utahime seizes him. He almost killed her with his mind manipulation technique. 

“One last thing before I go,” Tatsuya points heavenwards, his back facing Utahime and Gojo. 

“I hope you won’t end up like your father, Satoru.” he ridicules. 

Gojo almost launches an attack this time but Utahime pulls him back. If not because they are blood relatives, Gojo would have no doubt smash his skull into bits long ago. The small self-restraint in doing it is losing at the moment as his rage starts to consume him. He had always hated Tatsuya and that part of his family. They are the reason why he once thought of cutting ties with the clan as a whole. 

Tatsuya vanishes when the wind blows like a ghost. 

They returned to Utahime’s apartment after the incident. They didn’t talk on their way home and Gojo is still not on himself. Several questions are bothering her but she can’t gather the words to ask. Utahime finds him talking with someone over his phone in the kitchen. Judging his tone, he is frustrated with something. She can only assume that it is Koharu whom he is talking with.

“I understand you, but we cannot make a fuss over this, Satoru,” Koharu says with a sigh, massaging her head with her other hand. She gazes at the lovely garden outside the mansion. 

“It might leave a crack in the trust that the family has built over the years. The sweat and blood of our forefathers and as the clan head in-charge, I must protect it.”

Gojo resists the urge to punch a wall. To hell with the clan rules and as such. But he also understands that his older sister is not in the position to go against it. This is why he detests the elders. Fucking traditional rules that only they are protected. 

“Can you at least do something about Tatsuya?” he asks or more like demanded, not a cool in his voice. Koharu grasps that his patience is at its limit. It is unusual for Satoru to get angry like this and only the elders can push him at the edge of it. 

“I see what I can do. But for now, don’t let Utahime go outside alone. If you can make someone you trust to come with her from time to time, that would be better.” she suggests. “Don’t go hunting down Tatsuya after this, Satoru. I won’t be able to protect you if you end up killing him, you know that, right?” 

Gojo lets out a breath that is mixed with amusement and frustrations. His other arm akimbo on his waist. “Thanks, Koharu-nee,” he says ignoring her reminder.

“Satoru.” Koharu presses to take her cautions seriously.

“Fine, fine! I’ll try not to.” Gojo whines and scratches his head. “But still thank you, neesan, for your assistance.” he can almost see her frowning over the phone. 

“I can’t promise you anything, just my protection, and guidance for the time being. Alright, I guess I’ll just have to trust you not to go all psycho on his arse.” 

“I’d love that. See, you around then, big sis.” he ends the call and slides back the phone in his pocket. 

The thing about Utahime’s condition is that the whole clan doesn’t give a single damn about whether she dies or not and the same goes for the child. Their only concern is the future of their clan and the image of the family outside various sorcerer clans and business partners. Once a rumor breaches that there is a decade of curse going on within the Gojo clan, it will no doubt alarm both the Zenin and Kamo clans creating panic and chaos and who knows what else those two other powerful clans are going to blast on their roofs. 

Gojo doesn’t care about his clan. They can rot in hell for all he cares. His only concern is Koharu, her position, and his nephew. They’re the people he cares about inside that abominable cursed clan that is so obsessed with making him their tool for their selfish desires. Their rules, their egotistical, foolish, and unfair laws that prohibit them in killing a family member or else, it will allow every blood relatives to dismantle them. Gojo doesn’t care about these types of consequences either but in doing so, he will not only put himself in danger but also his sister and her son. In this situation, Koharu is powerless against a family member even though she is the head in-charge.

“Gojo?” 

Utahime’s voice cuts his thoughts. Gojo clears his throat and changes his demeanor from thinking about violence to his usual jolly self.

“Yeah?” he turns to face her with a fake smile. Utahime stands between the doorway to her bedroom and the kitchen. “It was Koharu.”

“I thought so,” she approaches him. “Now, can you tell me everything?”

Gojo wipes his face with a hand and grabs a seat. “That was Tatsuya, my cousin.” he speaks the word ‘my cousin’ as if he’s chewing bubble gum. How he hates it. “He has a record of killing over 200 people without touching them.”

Utahime looks at him in astonishment. No wonder she considers killing herself under his spell.

“He’s a notorious mind manipulator, Utahime. He had those people die by forcing them in suicide with his cursed technique. Tatsuya is dangerous to make an enemy of. Doesn’t matter if the person is strong or weak. He will have him dead once they fall in his technique.”

“I hope you won’t end up like your father, Satoru.”  that bastard. Gojo bit his lower lip, rewinding Tatsuya’s words. He despised the way he compared their situation with his father. Tatsuya has implanted in his mind the outcome once Utahime ends up dying giving birth to the child. Will he hate them too like how his father hated him when his mother died after he was born? The realization strikes him. Gojo puts a hand over his chin.

Utahime doesn’t miss the way he is thinking deeply over this. “What else?’ she knows that the family wanting her dead is out of the question by now. What she wants him to inform her is about something else.

“For now, let’s be careful,”

“Is that true?” she makes him pause in confusion. “Is it true that the child is bound to kill you no matter what we do?” Utahime doesn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me? The curse and unknown energy is already a big problem for us so why keep that fact away from me?” her lips tremble feeling betrayed by him. 

Gojo looks at her, tight-lipped and unperturbed. Instead of facing her vexation, he chose to shut it off and play it cool. 

“Because you’re weak, Utahime. You should be thankful I arrived on time before Tatsuya manages to….”

*SMACK*

 He’s half-joking but Utahime isn’t a bit amused and slaps him so hard that he starts rethinking his life decisions. 

Gojo is stunned, holding his reddened cheek with his hand, and blinks. But he is perplexed with two things; one is that he has Infinity activated this time so how come she happened to hit him? two is Utahime’s eyes are filled with tears, threatening to fall in any second.

“Utahime…”

“Get out.” she points at the door with a finger and steps back. Her breathing became quick, trying her best not to let those tears fall in front of him.

That’s when Gojo knows he overdid it this time. 

“I said GET OUT!” she commands in a booming voice that echoes in the whole apartment. He didn’t say anything after that. Gojo sighs and obliges before Utahime decides to throw a kick with her cursed energy technique next.

Once he left, the tears raced down her cheeks like a waterfall. Utahime feels pathetic for crying over that idiot. She understands that behind those hurtful teasing, he is only trying to protect her. Still, how dare he lie to her face and pretend that it won’t affect her.

Chapter Text

Faculty Office, 10:15 am

Today, Nanami is witnessing something he hasn’t seen in the longest time. 

The first time he saw Gojo sulking like this, acting indifferent and somber was when Geto left the Jujutsu High, and then after that was when Geto died. Even in their hectic schedules with missions left and right, the white-haired man has always been annoyingly cheerful with his lax attitude to the point of becoming irresponsible. 

It is like that time and it’s all coming back to him. When Nanami was still working as a salaryman, a coworker of his got into a big fight with his wife. The employee’s performance dropped because of a couple of problems at home. Nanami is aware that it’s a very normal occurrence in the office or anywhere else. Family matters can range from a kid punching another kid at school or a wife caught the husband cheating or vice versa. But he is a single man and he had never experienced it before so his opinions on that matter are only limited and he doesn’t want to appear like an all-knowing piece of shit to speak his thoughts when no one asked for it. Nanami is a man of few words and more actions but today, just maybe today, he can give it a shot.

“You look wasted,” a terrible statement to start a conversation which he rarely does with Gojo.

He is not, in any possible way, thinking that Gojo’s problems or whatever are about his family. He is unmarried and although it is in Nanami’s knowledge that rumors follow the other man like a dark cloud of smoke, rumors such as that he had slept with five different women in the past and that three of them proposed marriage which had Gojo running for his single life. The rumor also includes that he paid the three women 20 million yen not to bother him again. Just a few months ago, Nanami met another woman, someone they got acquainted with when Gojo and him grabbed a drink at a bar in Shinjuku. She was beautiful, charming, and was smitten by Gojo. He didn’t particularly pay attention to what the two were talking about and quietly drank. He is a man who prefers reading and silence. 

“Uhh, yeah?” Gojo flinches on his seat scratching his temple. He is wearing sunglasses today in alternative with his blindfold. 

It’s not in his job description to poke his nose into his coworker’s life but Gojo’s grunt and sighs and overall his aura today is kind of bothering his reading. Nanami is in the best part of the book he’s currently indulging and he cannot concentrate, rereading every line in the said chapter, zooming in and out of the words and hidden clues behind those paragraphs. 

“You curious? I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept on thinking about the movie I watched before going to bed,” the older of the two says and yawns. Gojo thinks if it is that apparent that something is bugging him. His thoughts ramble from his clan and Utahime’s anger yesterday to that mystery of how her hand bypassed his Infinity. He is sure that he didn’t turn it off with all that tension he faced after seeing Tatsuya.  Could it be the child?  

Wait a damn second.

Gojo heaves and the sound of it bothers Nanami.  I didn’t see it with my Six Eyes.  He taps his fingers on the table and ponders.  It must be the child, they can stop the flow of cursed energy?  He goes back to that little information about the mysterious child in the Keicho period. They were executed because of killing their family members including their father who was the Six Eyes and Limitless user. If Utahime can stop Infinity because of the child in her womb then no wonder why the Gojo clan fears them. Their clan is known for their boundless energy, without it, they are nothing. But if his theory is correct, it only means that the child is also stopping Utahime’s cursed energy, making her vulnerable. 

Gojo rises from his seat, the chair creaking onto the floor and Nanami deeply exhales. He marches outside. This is bad . If it’s true that this child cannot control their unknown energy, it might end up canceling all of Utahime’s energy, choking her into her death.

He needs to make sure if; 1. There is a way to control the child’s energy, 2. How long Utahime can last until the child finally takes over, 3. How exactly this energy works.

Before anything else, he has to make amends to her. Gojo turns to his feet but he immediately stops, seeing a familiar woman walking with Ijichi.

“G-Gojo-san, I’m sorry but this woman is…” Ijichi stutters, panicking for failing to stop the woman from entering the school to meet him.

“Emi,” Gojo recognizes the woman. She’s the recent woman he slept with around five months ago. Long, black hair and the same brown eyes as someone he knows. 

Her eyes are regretfully mixed with fear and shame. She falters from where she stands and bows deeply before him.

 “F-forgive me, Gojo-san!”

10:23 am

It’s been one of those days and Utahime is having a really bad morning sickness. She crouches on the toilet bowl, holding it tight as if her life depends on it, and gags but nothing comes, and then she gags again and feels sick that she almost passed out. Tears form in the corner of her eyes, the unbearable feeling in her chest and her stomach is killing her. It feels like a severe case of heartburn and she cannot breathe through her mouth and only through her nose. Utahime tries to stand, balancing herself by putting her palms on the wall of the toilet, and crawls back to her room to rest.

She wakes up ten minutes prior. A vague dream invades her mind until she feels the agonizing pain in her abdomen pushing herself out of the bed. She quickly checks herself in the mirror and out of curiosity examines the flow of her cursed energy.  It’s gone? How? 

The first thing that Utahime thinks of is her pregnancy has to do something about it. Shoko informs her beforehand that she will experience a lot of changes, especially in the first trimester. That dream. She tries to recall the dream she had before waking up:

A girl with silver hair wearing a light colored kimono smiling at her, running around a lush green forest. In that dream, the grey expanse of heaven is connected on earth. A ripple of clear water turning to blood.

Utahime takes the glass of water she keeps on her bedside table. Vivid dreams are common during pregnancy that sometimes it looks realistic to be remembered as a dream. She had read an article like that while browsing the internet to know more about her condition. She is quite lucky because she can separate the dream from reality. After a couple of minutes, she starts feeling a little bit better, but still not enough to move around and do chores, just the nauseous slowly settling down and her vision steadying.

She hears the sound of the doorbell once. Utahime thought it was just her imagination but it rings again and she is forced to move.  Who on earth would visit me at this time?  Panic gushes out from her chest crawling through her whole body realizing her cursed energy flow is unstable. Utahime looks for anything around the room that she can use as a weapon. Dammit. Calling out for help through her phone would be futile if an enemy is already at her doorstep.

A notification sound alarms her and Utahime quickly grab it with her shaking hands. It’s maddening how the changes in her body are making her useless when in the past she would face and fight anyone without hesitation. Utahime pushes the thoughts off her mind. She has no time to be regretful. She can’t be putting the blame now on someone who is nothing but the result of her and Gojo’s actions. 

A text message from an unknown number pops up: [ Hi Utahime-sensei! It’s me Itadori Yuuji :D You know, Sukuna’s vessel!]  Her eyebrows waggle before continuing. [ I’m outside your apartment cuz Gojo-sensei asked me to bring your lunch.]

Utahime lifts her head and paces to open the door. 

“Ah,” Yuuji smiles nervously before handing her a plastic bag containing a bento box and pastries. Utahime glances at the bag and then at the teen. “Gojo-sensei wants me to deliver this to you.” he grins.

“Thank you,” Utahime reaches for the bag to receive it. She checks the contents with one quick look and nods at Yuuji.

“Uh, sensei?” Yuuji scratches his cheek, unsure of what to say and how to say it. “If you don’t mind, Gojo-sensei umm,” he is lost for words, shyness getting into him. 

“What is it?” Utahime asks in a welcoming feel which makes the boy’s anxiety calm a bit. 

“Gojo-sensei...asked me to stay with you until he comes home, uh….” Yuuji thinks it’s weird. No, it is weird. He can’t look straight into the woman’s eyes and stares at somewhere else while waiting for her answer. He has no idea why Gojo asked him to stay with Utahime. It’s just, the request came out of nowhere, and as the obedient student that he is, Yuuji is left with agreeing. He didn’t even have the time to ask the reason. He simply obeyed the strange order from his sensei.

But Utahime understands.  That idiot.. .her eyes softening and lips turning to a small smile. Yuuji chokes and stiffens, mistaking that it is for him. 

“Sure, come inside, Itadori-kun.” 

He’s having a headache. Well, not literally.

Silence prevails as he sits in the empty room. Just a few moments ago when the woman named Emi came confessing to the crime she committed exactly one month and two weeks ago. As it turns out, the woman was the one responsible for the aphrodisiac that Utahime accidentally drank that night when they went to a karaoke bar with the whole Jujutsu High faculty. 

Gojo saw her that day outside, even waved in her direction before Utahime jumped to steal his blindfold and ran inside the building while he chased her. Emi happened to be working in a nearby bar and before the party started, went to the same bar where Gojo was. Not wanting everyone to see him with a woman,  Gojo went outside for Emi to follow. They caught up, shared a few drinks in the bar where she works, and flirted a bit. 

He told her he’s going back to his coworkers, but Emi suddenly confessed his love for him. Gojo turned her down in the most gentle way possible that he knew of. He felt like an asshole but it had to be done. 

And then he returned to rejoin the group like nothing happened. 

Emi was tipsy that night and prepared the aphrodisiac, talked to the waitress in the karaoke bar that she’s acquainted with, and secretly put the formula on Gojo’s drink. She knew what type of drink he ordered. Hanging out with him several times made her familiar with his drinks. It’s always that one particular brand of beer. 

When the drink was served at their table, Utahime and he were bantering and in an act of vengeance, stole his drink. Gojo shrugged and ordered another one. He can remember her downing the entire glass like it was nothing and he even laughed at that while their colleagues were singing and chatting. 

Emi saw it and left, giving up. But her conscience wouldn’t let her in peace and decides to come clean. Insisting she had no ill intention, she just wanted him to love her back.

“That isn’t love, that’s obsession,” he tells her, facing forwards as if scolding a student of his. The woman’s head drops apologetically. 

“I deeply apologize for my actions!” she begs. “Please don’t hate me, I wasn’t thinking-”

Gojo raises a hand for her to stop. He doesn’t ignore the fact that he also has a fault for involuntarily giving her false hopes. But Emi’s actions resulted in a massive mess. 

“I’d like to ask you just one thing,” he adjusts the rim of his sunglasses. “Forget about me. Find someone else and take this piece of advice; love is something you earn, not something you can force. Work on achieving it and you will find it.” Gojo may be selfish in a lot of things and he has a high opinion of himself but never did he push a person and always let them decide on what they want. It is their life and their decisions will be their fate. Just like his decision to protect Utahime at all cost, be with her side and take the consequences of that night.

That night he let himself kiss her back, causing the aphrodisiac in her mouth to make its way into his.

Gojo’s memories are indistinct and that kiss is the last thing he remembers. 

Emi is not a bad person and he knows it. People make bad decisions and actions but it doesn’t mean they are completely evil. It only means that they are humans. And humans are imperfect creatures. 

The two of them settled in never seeing each other again after their talk. 

Ah, I should really stop playing…

Gojo stretches his arms on the couch, now alone in the room. 

Utahime is going to kill me. 

Yuuji eats as quietly as possible with Utahime in her kitchen. The woman sits at the other side and him opposite his seat. He can closely see her face and the way she eats. So modest. He blushes at his thoughts and wants to smack himself for it before returning to eat again. He silently swears thinking that Sukuna might notice him. Then again, that ancient man doesn’t care about anything so he doubts he will show himself through another mouth on his face and screams some dumb shit. 

“Itadori-kun, I know I haven’t apologized to you personally regarding the Goodwill Event Incident. On behalf everyone, I’m sorry.” Utahime places her chopsticks over the bento box after finishing her meal and dips her head.

“Oh, i-it’s nothing! We’re all good now, don’t worry!” Yuuji says as he holds the back of his neck. “By the way, the last time I saw you was near this area too, right? I think that was one month ago?” 

Utahime’s lashes flutters. He saw me that day. “I uh, yes, I was….” then she wonders whether Gojo had told the boy about their fake engagement. She doesn’t want to divulge the lie to him. Yuuji is an honest boy and she feels bad lying to him unless Gojo already informed him then it will also make her go with it.

“I didn’t expect you to be dating Gojo-sensei..” Yuuji mumbles and immediately regrets it. “Sorry! I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just…”  I think you’re too nice for him heh . He left that part. “Honestly, we are shocked that he’s engaged now, and…” he’s running out of words and feels embarrassed. “I'm such an idiot what the hell am I saying,” he says that one out loud without realizing it. 

Utahime laughs and Yuuji finds her voice relaxing. He had never met his mother but somehow, Utahime’s presence gives her a strong resemblance to a mother. He smiles thinking about it unknowingly. 

Few hours have passed until it’s time for Yuuji to go. Utahime led him outside and thanked him for the food and the companionship where the boy replied that it was no biggie.

Utahime shuts the door closed once he leaves. Yuuji is warm, polite, and easy to befriend. Who would have thought that an innocent young man like him has a special grade cursed spirit living inside him. Her mood lightened after talking with him. Gojo must have planned this all along aside from securing that she won’t be alone while he’s away.

Feeling it’s a little too early to rest and that she has nothing to do at the moment, Utahime decides to take a warm bath. She fills up the tub with water, strips down, and steps slowly into the tub. The scent of strawberries in the air as she pours the bubble bath onto the water while the water is still running. She lifts a hand as it creates a foamy feel on her skin. 

Moments later and she finds herself musing on the incident last day and her argument with Gojo. Utahime does not regret lashing out. She has every right to get mad at him for not telling her everything about the curse.  What does he think of himself?  Utahime frowns at the bubbles as the stress is getting into her once again. She scoops some water with both hands and washes her face. 

 ”You see, Satoru is only protecting your death in an exchange of his.”

Utahime thinks of Tatsuya’s words and breathes out.  That idiot, does he think I am okay if he died because of the child…?  Her eyes are downcast and filled with worry. 

An unknown, heavy object falls on the bathroom as if a body or something else lands ungracefully, and Utahime jerks in surprise at the sound of it. She immediately pokes her head, wiping the shower curtain with one swift move to check what in the blazing hell that thing might be and there she finds Gojo wriggling on the floor with his back on the cold, tiled, floor.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Utahime screeches submerging her whole body in the water with the bubbles. Thank goodness the bubbles can hide her perfectly but seriously, what’s going on with this guy?

It’s more like, what’s going on with his cursed energy flow that Gojo messed up his teleportation.

The white-haired man groans, standing up. “I didn’t mean to land here,” he explains, massaging his lower back like an old man. Damn, that hurt.

“But how come you’re here?!” Utahime screams again, just then he sees her in the bathtub and turns around. 

“I told you I have no idea!” he answers.  Although I have a little theory why..  Gojo wonders if his own child hates him so fucking much for this to happen twice in a row. 

“T-turn around!” she orders and he follows unmoving. 

He hears the splashing and more movements of water as Utahime washes her body. Seconds later and he hears her rise from the tub. Gojo breathes in and out deeply as a mental image of her naked body manifests in his mind. Stop, you still need to apologize to her for yesterday. 

Utahime covers her body with the pure white robe and steps outside the bathroom with her hair still dripping wet. Gojo turns around and gives her back a quizzical look.  Didn’t even say it’s okay for me to leave now.  He pouts and steps outside as well.

He stays in the living room while she dries herself and gets dressed or whatever girls love to do after taking a bath. Gojo waits as he sits on one of the couches, tapping his hand on the armrest. He doesn’t know why he feels so edgy, he has never felt like this before when it comes to women - when it comes to Utahime. In the past, after annoying her, he would simply shrug and live another day without too much care but now he feels like he got caught in something he shouldn’t be doing and is about to hear the final judgment. What changed?

Women sure are scary.

“Why are you here?” 

Gojo flinches as if a sharp object pokes his ass. “Just checking on you,” he smiles, an awkward one. 

Utahime stands near a couch and crosses her arms over her chest. “You sent Itadori-kun here to do the same thing.”

Gojo nods. “He's the only one I trust enough not to ask too many questions about us. I also told my other two students about engagement.”

Fushiguro and Kugisaki seem to be smarter than Itadori. Gojo thinks that those two can figure things out easily and won’t stop until he tells them the truth. Utahime moves her head to the side.

“And what was that earlier?” she asks, pointing her nose at the bathroom door.

Gojo gestures for her to sit. This is going to be a long talk. Silly, he is thinking about apologizing first, dragging his feet, and even practicing ‘I'm sorry about yesterday’ in the faculty room quietly when Nanami left numerous times until he’s satisfied with the way he says it.  I looked like a fool!  He wants to beat himself at how bad the apology sounds when it comes from him because he hasn’t done this before.

But alas, he is going to face maybe another round of slaps, or who knows it can be worse this time.

“I have something to tell you about the child, but first, let’s talk about the one who drugged you that night.”

Gojo fakes a cough.  Here’s to hoping she won’t kill me. 

Yuuji walks along the dark streets, whistling with his hands inside his side pockets. He can see the vivid indigo sky from above, blocked by numerous tall buildings from his view. In times like this, he kinds of misses his hometown. Along with his musings, his heartbeat thrums when someone speaks to him.

“Oi brat,”

Yuuji scans the surroundings. No one is there but him.

“Stupid brat,”

His eyebrows knit until he feels that his left cheek is moving.

Is Sukuna talking to me?  His eyes go round. First, Gojo-sensei is engaged and now Sukuna is willingly talking to him. The world must be ending soon.

“Yeah? I thought someone was nearby.” he stops walking. Sukuna has never struck a conversation with him. Ever. So Yuuji knows no matter what it is, it is important. 

“You better watch out around that woman.” the cursed spirit notifies leaving him confused.

“You mean Utahime-sensei?” Yuuji asks and waits for Sukuna’s answer but gets nothing after that. He touches his cheek and the mouth is gone. 

“Sukuna! Hey! Answer me! What do you mean?!”

A couple of high school girls giggled from her side, watching him slap his face and talking with no one. Yuuji turns paler as a ghost and swears under his breath and then starts walking again.

Inside him, the King of Curses sits atop his mountain of skulls with crossed legs. It’s been a thousand years since the last time he’s alive.  Ha, so there was someone foolish enough to make a pact like that. No wonder that Gojo got that power.

Sukuna sneers and laughs grimly. 

How moronic.

Chapter Text

NHK Tokyo Local News: The authorities are still finding out the cause of the mysterious isolated earthquake yesterday afternoon near Sasazuka station….

She looks dismayed.

She looks dismayed and he hasn’t even started yet. The sound of the television in the background is the only thing he can hear aside from his very own internal unrest. Gojo is already deducing that she will get mad at him after telling the whole reason why she got stuck in a sticky situation is none other than his womanizing. But he has no choice but to tell her everything. Women have their unique knack to know if a man is hiding a secret, something he has proven time and time again. Unless he wants her to know from a third party then things will only get a little nastier. 

“You angry?” a foolish question coming from a man who cannot control his awful mouth asking nonsense in these circumstances. Gojo leans his back on a pillow, trying to calm his nerves from Utahime’s frown but it gets deeper the more he delays the revelation.

“Just spill it out already,”

He can’t tell if she simply wants to know the truth or she wants him to get out of her sight or maybe both. Gojo can tell Utahime is still mad at him. 

He is so good at everything, the hailed genius of his clan, the most powerful sorcerer, and deadly handsome too! But now he’s just a man grasping at straws because of a woman who happens to be carrying his child. Utahime still has her arms crossed over her chest, impatiently waiting for him to say what he needs to say. No speck on her face doesn’t spell she’s in a good mood for any types of jokes.

So Gojo starts by telling her about Emi, what happened that night outside the karaoke bar, and after that when he rejoined the group. He left a few details such as their flirting that same night which he honestly thinks is unimportant. He tells her almost everything and Utahime listens without interrupting him, only peering and fighting the urge to roll her eyes at some parts. Gojo now understands those cheating husbands getting caught. The only difference is that they aren’t in a sort of relationship and that he didn’t really cheat on her.

Still, it didn’t change the way he feels about this confession and he asks himself why.

“In short,” Utahime starts after he is done. “You indirectly caused this.”

The word ‘indirectly’ is a saving grace for Gojo. He nods at her words. “Yeah...” he admits, not trying to make it like he’s a pure, innocent man because that’s just simply not true. He had no plan to sugar-coating his fault here. Utahime appreciates the honesty despite not showing it openly.

She shifts from her seat amidst the silence, weighing the story and consequences of it all. Gojo let her process it thinking he should accept what her reactions will be. A whole minute has passed and they remain in an undisturbed hush. He starts considering maybe he should leave her in peace. Pregnant women tend to be more emotional, perhaps she needs more time to gather her thoughts before she can talk to him again. That drug they consumed that night brought disaster in their lives, that, he cannot change.

Utahime finally looks at him after that too much quietness. “One thing,”

Gojo prepares to hear something in the line of getting out of her apartment pronto because she cannot stand to see his face right now. But what comes from Utahime is far from what he expected.

“Did you love her?” she asks quietly.

Gojo gawks at her, blue eyes flickering. For a little while, he thought he misheard the question. 

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you ever held any deep feelings for her,” Utahime repeats, staring at him straight in the eyes like a hidden warning that he should not lie. 

Gojo isn’t sure what’s the importance of knowing that. It’s not that he truly dated that woman for him to say that he loved her. If so, then he wouldn’t turn her down in the first place. Why the need to ask? There’s no need for Utahime to beat around the bush if she was listening to him.

“Nah, we just hooked up,” he answers. “Just like any other woman I hung out with in the past.” his cockiness is back, shaking his head and shrugging. 

What did she want to hear from the insufferable idiot? Their line of work is risky and it will only put people who are close to them in danger. Besides, Gojo is never the type who will get serious in a relationship. He’s way too carefree to settle down with a woman and his future as the heir of the great Gojo clan is already a huge responsibility for him to look forward to, let alone build a family.

And yet, Utahime’s heart skipped a beat hearing those statements from him.

“So, you angry?” Gojo watches her expression change from unreadable to downright annoyed.

“Getting angry at you right now is pointless,” her tone betrays her but he prefers it this way. She mutters an irritation and glares at him. Yes, Gojo likes this version than her being cold and calculating. “We’re already deep in this mess, so I expect you to tell me everything now or else,” she gives him a threatening look.

Gojo raises his hands in surrender, lips forming a small smile. Whew. He didn’t expect he would sweat over that.

“As I said, I have something to tell you about the child,” he changes the subject before Utahime’s mood turns sour again. It’s a relief how he passed that agitation.

"I want you to touch me,”

It is Utahime’s turn now to gawk at him like another head sprouts next to his neck.

“What- are you crazy? Why would I-”

“Let’s not overreact, Utahime. I didn’t ask you to touch my body, just my hand.” Gojo transfers to another couch close to hers and extends his right hand for her to hold. Utahime glances at him questioningly, her mouth forming a ‘what?’ 

“Touch.” he commands, raising his right hand and Utahime does the same, slowly closing their distance. Their hands are about to touch but the Infinity blocks it this time.

“I don’t get why you would ask me to do this.”

“Hmm,” Gojo puts his left hand over his chin.  Could it be that the child is asleep?  Or just simply not in the mood to cancel energy flow?

“Can you feel your cursed energy?” 

Utahime takes a few seconds to feel her energy. “Yes.”

Ah so that’s how it is.

“Wait,” Utahime squints. “Can’t you tell by using your eyes?” obviously Gojo would have no problem checking her energy flow with the Six Eyes.

He takes back his hand and gazes at her. “The truth is, I cannot see your cursed energy now.”

“What?!” her jaws unhinged. “You’re kidding, right?” Utahime knows that her cursed energy is somewhat unstable at the moment but she didn’t expect him to say that he cannot see anything with his Six Eyes. Normally, the Six Eyes would see even the slightest form of cursed energy. 

“This is just a theory but I think the child can cancel the cursed energy flow. Since they’re still an embryo, they cannot control their power which distracts your cursed energy.” Gojo explains, thinking about how a mere embryo possesses an ability like this, he gets the picture of the magnitude of either leverage or destruction once the child is born. Taking into consideration, he now understands why his clan called an emergency meeting for this matter. Yup, totally an emergency.

“Then, that thing earlier…” Utahime talks about how he ended up falling on her bathroom.

“My technique was disturbed by them.” it must be a part of the curse for the Six Eyes user to get bullied more often than necessary by the child. How amusing. Karma is real and he’s going to get it from his child, it seems. 

2nd Month

7:08 am

“Dreams?”

Utahime brushes her teeth and splashes water on her face while Gojo stands in the doorway of the bathroom, a glass of water in one hand and a towel in another. Earlier, he caught her throwing up on the toilet bowl. It’s his day off and out of instinct that something is wrong, he goes directly to her apartment with the excuse (and only reason) to check up on her. He let her finish releasing as he held her hair from the back to prevent it from getting in the way. Utahime told him it’s fine and she can handle herself but he insisted.

“I’ve been having recurring dreams.” 

Gojo hands her the towel and she dries her face with it. 

“What exactly is this dream about?” 

She takes the glass of water from his hand and sips to ease her throat. “It’s this same little girl with…” Utahime surveys him with  awareness. “Silver hair, just like yours but a little bit darker in color.”

Gojo touches a strand of his hair. “And?” 

“And dark eyes, she’s about five or six years of age,” she continues.

That’s around the same time a person discovers if they can see spirits. 

“What does she wear?” he follows her going to the kitchen. Utahime opens the fridge and takes out a food container and some vegetables. 

“Light blue kimono,” she places the container over the table and turns to wash the vegetables.

“Any clan crest?” Gojo asks again, sitting on the chair, and Utahime stops to look at him.

“Like, anything that can be distinguished easily? How about the setting? Is it ancient times-”

“Ancient times?” Utahime puts a finger over her chin, eyes gazing above as she recalls. “Yes, there’s this mansion…” her eyes shot open. “The mansion! Yes, that’s where she lives! It’s almost as big as-”

“Our mansion,” Gojo rests his face atop his palm, leaning on the table as he meets Utahime’s steady gaze.

“It’s the child.” he declares, she drops the knife on the sink, creating a metallic clink. “I don’t mean our child, I think it’s the first child.”

“Of your ancestor,” she mumbles, he bobs his head. “But why?”

“Because you’re carrying my child, the Six Eyes user. And the original owner of these eyes was her father who was the sole reason she got that ability. Their fates are tied.” he says as a matter of fact-ly. There is no need for elaboration and theorizing for this, Gojo is certain that the girl in Utahime's dreams is that child. 

“Is this a good thing or a bad one?” she gets the knife again and peels the potato. 

“Good one. We may know the fate of that kid through your dreams,” he rises from his seat after he catches sight of her hand having trouble holding the knife tightly and going closer. 

“Hey, that’s unsafe, let me do it.”

“It’s not- I can do it,” she refuses.

“Utahime,” Gojo gets a hold of her hand that is holding the knife. “Oooh, well good morning to you too,”

She lifts her hand that he holds and inspects it closely. “You can touch me,”

“I have Infinity on,” he tells and smiles. “They canceled it so that I can stop you from accidentally cutting yourself.” Gojo leans down, minimizing their distance. They’re protecting Utahime.  He remembers the night she slapped him. Hm, at the same time they seem to like her more than their father.

“Can you really do it?” Utahime hesitates but the knife already slides in Gojo’s hand.

“You doubting? There’s nothing I can’t do!” he brags and proceeds to peel the other potatoes, onions, and vegetables. Utahime sits in a chair beside the table and watches him.

“Korokke for breakfast?” he questions with emphasis, glancing at her. Inside the food container is the ground beef. Utahime points where he will find the panko and he follows her line of sight to the right cabinet. Those pregnancy hormones giving her untimely cravings here and there. At this point, he won’t be surprised if she suddenly asks for ice cream at 2 am. 

Utahime hums a familiar song watching him cook. By some means, observing him doing mundane tasks is relaxing to her. Seeing Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer, cooking in her kitchen pacing back and forth to perform what she asks makes her feel like a winner. Utahime snorts. Just two months ago, they were bickering like foolish youngsters when in fact they’re both adults, tasked to guide their students, and now here they are, forced to get along and work together on behalf of their child.

“Gojo,” 

“Hm?” 

“What if the child kills you?”

Gojo’s eyes are focused on making the korokke. “Then so be it. If there is anything I learned from my big-headed elders, it’s that we can’t fight a clan curse,” he answers then fried the mashed potato in a non-stick pan. 

Utahime looks down, disagreeing but she knows that it’s true. A curse can only be fought by a curse. The curse of the Six Eyes and its payment, the child. It’s in their bloodline, something they can never run away from.

“But…” 

“It’s my child Utahime,” Gojo says. “Denying my death from them means I oppose them,”

She raises her head and glimpses at him. “Gojo….”

Gojo is too proud of a man to give another person his death. He thinks about it for a few seconds and smiles to himself.

“Although I’d really like to play as the tragic, strongest sorcerer killed by his own child,” he says dramatically, swaying the wooden spoon in his hand.

“You’re such an idiot.” Utahime hisses and he laughs.

“You should worry about yourself, Utahime,” Gojo reminds. Utahime is in her second month of pregnancy and so far, the worrying part is that her morning sickness is getting worse. Even if Shoko thinks it’s normal, they still cannot help but be concerned since her condition is unique. 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m the strongest.” he winks confidently

They begin eating the korokke soon as it’s done. Utahime admits that Gojo cooks really well. Golden, crusty exterior thanks to the panko and creamy, luscious interior made with ground beef and potatoes. 

That was good, I should ask him to cook more. 

“I think it’s a girl.”

Utahime feels the soft fabric of a little pink dress, her gaze softening and the corners of her lips turning up while thinking about her child. 

“Well hey now, aren’t they still a fetus?” 

Beside her is Gojo holding white paper bags in both hands. They’re currently in a shopping district with lots of shoppers around. There are so many cute and colorful infant clothing to choose from inside a small establishment.

Utahime scowls at him. “I can feel it!” she presses. 

Maybe mother instincts.  Gojo says at the back of his mind. She must be basing the gender of the child on her dreams. But not because that child is a girl, their child will be a girl too. Women tend to be more idealistic and superstitious than men anyway.

“We might upset them if we bought a pink dress and then they’re a boy.” he jests. 

“It’s because you want a boy.” she returns the cute little dress in the hanger but mentally notes to buy it one day. 

“Any gender is fine with me,” Gojo turns to follow her as she strides in the aisle of the premises. Utahime stops when she spots a quaint mochi shop. Gojo is more than eager to buy one box which contains a dozen mochis. 

A small group of young women is ogling at Gojo while he talks to the cashier in the shop and Utahime didn’t fail to see it. She overhears them saying ‘what a waste!’ and ‘she’s too plain-looking for him’ and other condescending comments regarding their physical attributes. Normally, Utahime would snap and try to scold them as an older woman. But she let it pass. Not wanting to get this beautiful day ruined.

 Gojo is such an attractive man, things like this can’t be avoided when a woman is with him.

“It’s the strawberry one you want, right,  darling ?” Gojo stresses the term of endearment.

Utahime practically jumps to her feet with her eyes wide as a saucer at the sudden flirtatious word that Gojo just gave her.

“D-DARLING?” she wheezes, astounded,

“Come over here so you can see it,” he skips, drawing her closer with a gentle tug by the arm next to him. Utahime is too befuddled to react until she’s in between his arm and chest. She gets a whiff of his masculine scent, fresh, clean, and profoundly sensual. Knowing him, he probably uses some outrageously expensive cologne. 

Gojo side-eyes the group of young women and smirks at them until they sheepishly take their leave. 

“Why don’t you take over the family head position?”

Utahime is organizing the grocery items they bought earlier inside the kitchen cabinet while Gojo munches the mochi.

“You serious? Who would want to lead those people?” he swallows, finishing an entire piece with two bites. “Koharu-nee has been asking the same thing for years and truthfully, I’m considering but not now.”

“Then when?”

“When all the elders died of old age, maybe” he chuckles, Utahime laughs with him. “Eventually, I’ll lead the clan. I’m just not looking forward to it, why do you ask?”

She closes the cabinet once she’s done placing everything in its place. “Because you hate the rules and I am thinking you could change it if you have that position.” 

“Not a chance,” Gojo grabs another piece of the sweet rice cake. “Clan rules are like divine laws that are passed through generations. If I change it, the whole family will lose their marbles.” 

Utahime hums in acknowledgment. No wonder why Gojo seems to be uncertain. The starking contrast of his personality is a mismatch for the position.

“I’ll get changed,” 

“Sure,”

She shuts the bedroom door closed to change her clothes while Gojo plays with his phone in the living room. A few minutes later, he yawns and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. The exhaustion from walking around, going shopping for half a day with his Infinity on is getting to him. Gojo shuts his eyes close.  Five minutes…  and takes a rest, reclining his back onto the sofa.

Utahime steps outside her room now wearing yellow jammies, looking for him when she finds a sleeping Gojo. His lips slightly parted and his face tranquil. She is about to wake him up but falters, seeing how deep his sleep is. Utahime is quite annoyed at how gorgeous he looks even when he sleeps. She agrees that Gojo is a stunning man, not that he would hear those words coming out from her lips.

Gojo told her that the child prefers their mother over their father. A funny theory. But there is some truth with it. Utahime lifts a finger and wonders if she could land it on his hair. She smiles after successfully poking a strand of his hair gently, careful not to wake him up. 

His lip twitches with his eyes still closed and that’s when Utahime knows he’s been awake all along. 

“You’re so annoying!”

Gojo keeps on laughing at her.

“Were you watching my sleeping face? Liked it?” he teases and she’s supposed to hit his arm but his hand catches her hand.

“I never-” Utahime blushes, her upper teeth meeting her lower lip. 

“Yes?” Gojo pulls her gradually to sit next to him. He's oozing with confidence that he looks so damned good whatever state he is in.

“You never liked my face?” he asks, grinning widely. “What if the child looks like me?”

Utahime raises an eyebrow. “And what if they look like me?” she retorts in a challenge. 

“I’d love that.” 

Seeing how her facial expression changed rapidly at his boldness delights him, making him cackle. But Gojo still feels the tiredness from his body and slumps back, still holding her hand.

Strange, when did I get comfortable with his touch?   Utahime’s gaze falls on their hands, surprising herself that she hasn’t pulled it back when in the past she would’ve flinched back in the graze of their skin contact.

“Stay,” Gojo speaks softly with closed eyes. His voice sounds so mellow that it can't be resisted.

Utahime scans his sleeping facade and settles in the seat, allowing Gojo to clutch her hand between them. Apparently, drowsiness is contagious, and she finds herself letting out a yawn, leaning her back onto the comfort of the couch to take a nap.

Once she's dozing, he opens an eye to peek and slowly moves his other hand to guide her descending figure. Soon enough, Utahime’s head settled on his shoulder, bringing a genuine smile on his lips.

Gojo wonders when was the last time he’s been this happy.   

Chapter Text

She’s a monster!

This is the punishment of the heavens!

She has no cursed energy! 

How many did she kill?

A disgrace!

Get rid of her!

Before the other clans know of this!

Silence!

The last voice is the cue for everyone to stop talking altogether and give them a breather. Utahime stands between a dream and reality. Yes, this is a dream and she is very much aware of it. But here she is nothing but a phantom, unable to exist in their actuality. All she can do is watch and see how the past unravels before her. 

Utahime remembers Gojo’s words a week ago; that it is a good thing that the dream has been visiting her. In this way, they could know more about the child and if they got lucky, they may learn how her fate turned out. 

A familiar-looking hall greets her aside from the synchronous, aggressive shouts she heard from earlier. Just exactly what Gojo and her talked about before, she finds the Gojo clan crest engraved in the wooden walls, shaped like a plum blossom. Inside the hall are around twenty people, composed of more men than women, all clad in venerable kimono. Their bare presence brings her restlessness as their eyes speak nothing but death towards a child not even older than six years of age. 

The girl hides behind her - from what Utahime assumes - is her father, a white-haired man with the same crystal blue orbs as the man she knows. The child clasps the lower part of her father’s kimono so tightly, she possesses a doll-like face framed perfectly with her shoulder-length silver hair. Her lips quivering from fear that a kid of that age normally should not be dealing with and Utahime feels her heart tightening as she sees the bruises and cuts on her wrists, neck, and the one next to her lips. 

A member of the family yells from the crowd. “That child is your curse! She is bound to kill you!” the man’s voice was so loud that it startled the little girl which made her dash outside the hall. Her father screams back at everyone and it only brings a heated commotion between family members. However, Utahime’s main concern is the child and swiftly she drags her feet to follow her. It is troublesome when one tries to run in their dreams like they are running in water and Utahime swears under her breath. The time glides faster in this dream and she notices that she’s been running for quite a time.

Where are you? 

She stops before entering a thick, green forest. The blinding lights shine brightly from above and the chirping of birds inside the woodland is quite a spectacle. Everything seems to be real. 

Utahime wastes no time and enters the forest. The enormous trees, the smell of timber, and the earthy scent are too real for anyone to mistake the place for a dream. After a few minutes - that’s how she put it - Utahime finds the girl sitting while hugging her legs, staring at the sparkling flowing river. Her shoulders shudder and it is clear as day that she is crying.

I wonder if she could hear me...Utahime wants to comfort the girl, holds her and tell her that she is not alone anymore yet at the same time, she is seething in anger at those adults who had caused an innocent child to cry like this. 

She attempts to reach the little girl, leaning down to touch her shoulder when a voice speaks from behind.

“Oi, it’s you again?”

Utahime holds her chest with a hand and turns around to find a boy with dark, spiky hair and green eyes. She can tell how she seems invisible from the boy’s view. 

“Umm,” the girl stirs from the ground and shyly looks at the boy. She wipes the tears on her face with her small hands. Upon noticing this, the boy jerks realizing that the girl was crying. She stands and shakes off the grass from her light blue kimono. 

“I told you the three clans love using this type of place as their battleground. Don’t blame me if you got caught in their war. I warned you before,” he says with a hint of concern that Utahime didn’t miss. The boy is acting like he’s annoyed but deep inside, he is worried about the little girl.  He’s a kind boy, I think she trusts him.

“B-But...this is the only place I could go um,” the girl puts both arms behind. She is soft-spoken like a fragile flower. In a few years, she will grow as a great beauty.

The boy squints observing her face. “Hey, your family hit you again?” he asks and approaches her. Utahime steps aside to have a good view of the two kids.

“N-n-no I tripped down the-” the girl refuses to be touched and jumps back.

“Quit lying! You’re bad at it. Let them do that all over again and you’ll end up dying. Why don’t you run away?” the boy suggests concern couldn’t be concealed.

“I have nowhere to go,” she pouts.

“Cheh,” the boy puts his hands at the back of his head. “You know what, I am hated by life itself too. Not just my family, but by life!” he says, Utahime blinks at the boy’s sudden outspokenness. Children at this age tend to be more open to kids like them than adults. “I am born from a family of sorcerers but I-” he pauses and changes his mind midway. “Nevermind.”

The girl looks at him innocently, inclining her head on the side. 

“Don’t look at me like that!” the boy points a finger at her. “Why do you look at me as if you can see my soul?”

“You don’t have it.” she shakes her head.

“HAH?!”

“You don’t have cursed energy.” 

Monday, 6:05 am

Utahime opens her eyes and is met with the coldness in her dim room. Collecting her thoughts, she pulls her legs out of the bed to start her day. She goes to the bathroom, brushes her teeth and wash her face, and combs her hair then goes to the kitchen and prepares breakfast, still thinking about the dream. 

The morning sickness is not present today allowing Utahime to make oyakodon with miso soup enough for two persons. She decides to make an extra meal for Gojo, thinking she should repay him for taking good care of her and their child. Well, she knows that it is mostly because of the child - of course! Utahime brushes off any thoughts that tell her there are other reasons why Gojo is doing the things he does like assisting her on daily chores during his off instead of resting, going shopping with her on the weekends (Utahime insists that he don’t need to always pay for all the stuff, saying she have a decent amount of savings but Gojo always tricks her so that he could pay for everything). One time he even tried to help her wash her clothes and Utahime screamed when he saw her undies and snatched them from his hands before telling him to get out.

She spaced out, remembering the embarrassing moment and the chicken and egg almost burned. Her blush changed to a panic-stricken face turning off the stove. The next set is perfectly cooked and Utahime neatly packed it in a medium-sized bento box.  Ah, I guess I’ll be eating that burnt chicken.  She says to herself, imagining Gojo teasing the hell out of her if she gives him the semi-burnt one saying things like she cannot cook and she needs to learn from him. Utahime clicks her tongue and goes outside to give him his lunch. It is a Monday and normally he’s up by this time. It takes her exactly ten steps before reaching the door of Gojo’s apartment. Utahime gulps as the memory of the last time she enters and exits the same apartment fills her brain.

That night. When something happened between them. 

She sighs and shakes her head.  Concentrate, stop thinking about it . Utahime presses the doorbell once and then twice. She waits patiently before the door opens. After a few seconds, she can hear the footsteps incoming but she did not prepare herself to see what she’s about to see.

Utahime’s jaw drops after Gojo opens the door - shirtless - showing his bare, well-toned, and carved body muscles and skin that is noticeably fresh from the shower she could practically smell him from where she is and he smells damned good. And if that’s not enough to leave her speechless, Gojo let his hair down, still wet and it hangs on his offensively handsome face. A smirk is already on its way to appear until Utahime is back on herself.

“Utahime!” the smirk is now growing. “Is there a problem?” Gojo knows exactly what she’s thinking and the effect of his body on her. He’s teasing her and he’s enjoying it.

A noticeable surprise takes shape from Utahime and looks away, handing out the bento box to the idiot. 

“H-Here, it’s not that I made lunch for you or anything but...I have excess so..just take it!” Utahime stutters, a blush full on her face. Gojo bits his lower lip trying to stop himself from laughing.

“What’s funny?!” she faces forwards, revealing her tomato face. 

Instead of answering, Gojo opens the door wider. The sunlight makes his skin glow and steps, going to her.

“WhatAreYou DoingYouIdiot going outside naked-” she sputters and shoves the bento box on Gojo’s chest and bolts to leave. 

Gojo giggles and follows her with his eyes entering the apartment.

“Thanks for the lunch, Utahime! And I hope you liked your breakfast as well~” he laughs.

Utahime stops midway, understanding what the hidden meaning behind those statements is. How dare he compare his body to her breakfast!

“Shut up!” she slams the door shut, her heart thundering in her chest. She is sure that he saw him shirtless before but can’t remember it - wait - her mind goes back to that fateful night. That morning after she saw his naked body next to her. 

Utahime groans on her hands, leaning behind the door. The image won’t disappear in her mind and she’s distracted even when she’s eating.  Quit thinking about him!  She wrestles with her brain as she does household chores, sweeping the floor and washing the dishes. Her finger touches the plate as she wipes it dry with a cloth when her mind wonders what it feels to touch Gojo’s muscles.  What the hell?! Why am I having these impure thoughts?!

Utahime turns the television on to kill the silence and distract her thoughts.

It must be the hormones. It better be the hormones.

Perhaps she just needs to accept that she’s attracted to him. 

“Do you guys think it’s true that Gojo-sensei is engaged or it’s just a prank?”

Nobara asks as they walk going to a movie theatre today. It’s a weekend and they just finished a mission last day. Thankfully it wasn’t another case of a death-defying mission they’ve received in the past weeks. The day is cool and good, perfect to spend time outside and enjoy it with friends. 

Megumi slurps on his frappe and peers on the road. He knows Gojo more than his two other teammates so supposedly, he should know whether the man is lying or not. But even he is reluctant to make a judgment out of it.

“Maybe,”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe it’s true or it’s a prank.”

The only girl in the group rolls her eyes and sighs. No point asking this guy to be honest. She taps her other friend a little too strongly that Yuuji chokes on his drink. 

“How about you? What do you think?” Nobara asks but her eyebrow furrows seeing how the pink-haired teen looks alarmed and is that guilt on his face?

“Eh? I don't know.” Yuuji says simply and proceeds to slurp on his drink. Nobara and Megumi glance at each other questioningly. This isn’t so Yuuji to keep quiet and don’t join the topic of the conversation. To top of it all, he seems to be distancing himself as they walk so that Nobara wouldn’t notice his expression.

“Oi!” she pulls the back of his collar and Yuuji’s heels grind on the pavement. His light brown eyes bulge out. 

Nobara glares at him suspiciously still clutching his back while Megumi watches only observing the two. 

“Do you know something that we don't?”

Shoot.

Yuuji stammers a few syllables then asks Nobara to free him right away. He knows he is a very bad liar and lying to both Nobara and Megumi spells D-O-O-M. 

“Listen- I,”

Megumi and Nobara share a glance again. It is so easy to squeeze the truth from him. 

“Confess.” Megumi prods and proceeds to finish his drink. 

“I-I didn’t mean to lie so I didn’t say anything!” Yuuji starts and Nobara yanks his collar, now the front part of it. 

“So you know all along and you didn’t tell us!” Nobara loses her patience and Megumi pokes her arm to be wary of the public eye.

“It’s because I don’t want to be the spoiler-man!” Yuuji defends nearly kneeling from Nobara’s pull. Truthfully, he would feel bad if he told his friends about Gojo and Utahime without knowing if it’s okay to reveal to the others. 

“Alright, so is it true or not?” Megumi questions calmly but before Yuuji could answer, his green eyes go round following two very much familiar persons walking in front of them along the other passer-bys. Nobara is continuously shaking Yuuji and the poor teen is getting dizzy from this interrogation. Gojo-sensei please help me!

“Is...that?” Megumi can’t believe what he’s seeing. From the mass of people are Gojo and Utahime walking side by side. They’re a little too close, too close, with Gojo holding a few plastic bags. Obviously, the two went grocery shopping. Nobara follows her friend’s gaze and searches who on earth he is talking about. She gasps and drops Yuuji and the boy’s woozy body falls unsteady with his ass in the air, eyes swirling like spinda from all the shaking.

“Eh?” Megumi and Nobara freeze and turn their head at each other again.

“EHHHH?!”

He gazes at her disapprovingly while she presses a few buttons on the remote control she’s holding, placing the disc inside the player.

“But why a horror movie?” Gojo complains for the third time. 

“Because I like horror movies,” Utahime smiles as the movie starts to play. She turns off the lights and prepares snacks for this movie night. She personally chose what movies they are going to watch which Gojo has been so against for whatever reason. 

“It’s bad for the baby,” he whines again disinterestedly at the movie. A box of pizza, canned cola, and a bowl of strawberries are placed on the table. 

Utahime is more than surprised to find him traditional when it comes to pregnancy. She did not expect there is a part of him that would be this strict when it comes to cultural taboo. Ignoring his whining, she sits next to him, grabbing a pillow and placing it on her lap. She picks up the bowl of strawberries.

“Pizza and strawberries?”

There goes another of Gojo’s annoying criticisms. Utahime seizes the remote control to pause the movie and glares.

“Are you going to complain all night long about what I want to watch and what I want to eat?!” she snarls. She’s been too eager to watch the new horror movie tonight and hearing him criticize something that makes her enjoyment is getting to her nerves. “What bad for me is not this movie, it is you making my blood boil!” she hits the play button and the movie continues.

Gojo keeps his mouth shut for a good few minutes and remains seated. Utahime has to give him credit for that because Gojo almost never shut up. Not when he's trying to irritate her.

“What if a horror character turns out to look like our child?” 

She slowly gives him a death glare and Gojo grins. He’s messing with her.

“I’m not hearing the end of it.” 

The movie is about blind creatures with hypersensitive hearing and a family trying to survive from it. While Utahime is focused on watching, Gojo touches the ends of her hair and fiddles it with his fingers, twirling the smooth strands.

“Utahime,”

“Shh!” 

Gojo brings the lock of her hair to his nose and smells it. “About the mole in Kyoto,”

Utahime glimpses at him then back at the movie. Her attention is divided now that one of her former students is mentioned. 

“I’m going to send my students to deal with him,” he states.

She takes the remote control to pause the movie once more. Utahime muses while eyeing the foods on the table but her mind is nowhere near it. 

"I’ll come with them,” she says.

“No way in hell,”

“But Mechamaru was my student.” Utahime appeals only to be met with a pair of Gojo’s serious eyes.

“You have unstable cursed energy right now, Utahime, and it’s dangerous for you and the child.” 

Utahime bows down and sighs. Gojo understands what she feels but he needs to prioritize her safety above all. Knowing the enemy’s lair and their goals only come to the second. He has no plans on risking her even knowing that his students won’t let her get hurt. “You can still help them by directing them where the real Mechamaru is staying,” he suggests. 

She did not immediately agree but nods nonetheless. 

“When are they going?”

“Three days from now." 

Utahime nods again reluctantly. How she wishes she can personally deal with Mechamaru. She wants to hear his reasons on why he betrays them and his thought process about it. But the things she can do right now are only limited. Utahime decides to put her hopes on Gojo’s students, letting the lingering doubt and self-pity for failing to help her student before he falls into the hands of their enemies. 

Gojo reaches for the remote control and plays the movie. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Yuuji-kun and the others to take it easy,” he assures, aware that Utahime is stopping herself to ask him if they can take Mechamaru instead of outright killing him. 

“But Gojo…” Utahime discerns what he plans and starts to worry about his students. What if Mechamaru hurts them or worse, kills them?

“My students will be fine,” he smiles. “I trust them. Also, I didn’t want to assume that the mole is a student but it has come to this. It will be fine.” Gojo continues to twirl the lock of her hair.

Utahime thinks about his intention. He has been being considerate to her feelings more than he should and she worries that it might be not the right thing to do. She doesn’t want to be selfish and set aside her personal concern for her former student but at the same time, she hopes it can be settled without dying on both sides.

After a while, they continued the horror movie and now, Gojo willingly watches it with her. 

“Huh? Who are you?” 

Jogo and the others stare at the unknown man who appears out of nowhere. More than anything, they wonder how he entered their secret hideout. Although none of the cursed spirits bother to trouble themselves and Mahito continues to relax in the beach chair, Hanami has a confused face and Geto quietly sips on his tea, browsing the newspaper. 

“You’re familiar,” Geto recognizes the man, or to be more specific, the body that he currently possesses knows the man.

Gojo Tatsuya dips his head as a greeting. “It has been a while Geto Suguru,” he smiles.

Geto doesn’t sense that the man intruded their little private space only to cause trouble. He knows he is more than meets the eye and is a professional assassin. Surely there are a couple of hundred ways Tatsuya could annihilate them and trespassing an enemy territory is not one of them. 

“What do you need, Tatsuya?” Geto smiles back before pouring more tea in his cup, not looking at the uninvited guest.

Tatsuya bites back a peal of laughter, amused at how Geto used the word ‘need’ instead of ‘want’. He is a man who finishes his mission as soon as possible and decides to get on the business quickly before Geto’s cursed spirit friends get bored. 

“I am here to make a deal.” 

Chapter Text

The dizzying pressure is too much for her weak body to handle. 

The girl, now around nine to ten years of age according to Utahime’s assessment, is hunching over a bronze jar inside a dark room. The light coming from the oil lamp dances in her eyes. Utahime cannot see her face as the little girl busies herself assembling something in her hands. The ends of her long silver hair on the soiled ground. Curiously, the woman steadily peeks on the girl, careful as if she might startle her when in reality the girl cannot see her at all.

Utahime feels a chill running down her spine, discovering that what the child is holding is nothing but remains from a dead person. There are hands, limbs, fingers, torso, neck, and feet, coated with filth and dried blood.

What is a kid doing in all of those? Utahime is no stranger to unpleasant situations but knowing that a kid is unbothered by no less than a corpse doesn’t sit right with her. The little girl is too engrossed in checking every part as she does it every day. Not a sign of fear or disgust on her innocent face. Besides the grotesque carcass is a discarded orange robe that Utahime immediately recognizes.

A monk?

There must be something deeply wrong with the way a child looks satisfied at the several body parts splayed in front of her and Utahime is unsure if she is ready to know more.

The scene changed in a flash and she is back at the same riverside she usually goes to. It has become a habit for her to meet up with her friend in the place once or twice a week. It is that same boy with spiky hair and green eyes. Judging from his outfit, Utahime can deduce that the boy comes from a well to do family.

“....but I cannot use cursed energy,”

“Then how are you going to use that?”

The girl exhales and plops down the grass. No idea. She has no idea. 

The boy laughs and calls her stupid. “In order for you to use that, you need a spell, right? Both of us do not possess cursed energy, and you are showing me that?” he ridicules, wiping a katana with a cloth, sitting in front of the girl with crossed legs. The day is clear and warm. 

“You’re my only friend and I want to show it to you,” the girl responds with the same soft voice, eyes full of innocence and joy. Utahime wonders for a moment if she is aware that assembling and playing with corpses is not very normal. Then again, in this war-torn era, most children are brought to war at a very early age with their parents being away from home for months or even years. The woman gazes at the girl’s cuts and scars. It never fades, proving that the girl is continuously suffering from physical abuse. Her father is the only one in the clan who seems to have genuine care for her but being the head of the family, he is almost never home with lots of responsibilities and war to lead. Leaving opportunity in the family members to beat her up. 

Utahime clenches her fists thinking about it. 

The boy stands up, putting the katana back to its sheath. “I have to go now, you should go back home. You might faint again.”

There’s that look on her face, the one that begs him not to go. 

“I-it’s okay, they won’t look for me even if I die…” she tells him while playing with her fingers. 

Utahime watches the boy’s hurt and angry reaction. She can read his facial expression too well - guilt, regret, feeling of uselessness- to not be able to help his only friend. They’re just children after all.

He turns to take his leave but soon halts. “I haven’t told you before but I took a job as a warrior for another sorcerer clan. Well, one day if I went missing, you know what it means, right?”

She looks at his back and wordlessly until he’s out of her sight.

The children continue to meet in the same place for the following weeks, playing and talking about everything under the sun. It became their little safe haven, away from the chaos that adults have created. Away from the world that the adults relentlessly destroy for their selfish desires. 

Just as he predicted, one day, the boy stopped coming. 

9: 24 pm

“A monk’s corpse, a non-cursed energy user friend, and a mysterious project,” Gojo summarizes Utahime’s story, crossing his legs. “Seriously, where are her parents?”

Utahime gives him a doubtful look.

“Children back in the day, mostly the boys at the wee age of ten were sent to war to fight for the honor of their clans. You said the boy is carrying a katana, that’s pretty normal in that era and he died at such a young age. Clearly, he’s just a child. Not even a teen.” Gojo sips his tea.

Utahime detects the slight change of his mood saying that affirmation and she can relate with that on a deeper level. It is the adults' responsibility to take care of children, something that they are bent on doing as teachers and despite knowing that an era like that is way different from theirs, it is still preposterous to think about. 

“Her father is away most of the time and he cannot watch over her,” Utahime adds.

“That explains why a little girl is playing with a corpse.” Gojo puts the cup down over the table. “And those injuries.”

“She lies about them to her father,” she exhales in disheartenment. “When he gets home and asks her about it, she lies by telling him she tripped or any other accident. I also think she's born with a feeble body.” Utahime had told him before that the girl's mother died when she was born. Something Gojo can relate from. 

“It’s common for children to lie about that. They don’t want to start unnecessary drama that might trouble their parents. You mentioned the other family members had an argument with her father because of her. My bet is that it’s a common occurrence in the family household,” Terrific. No matter what era, the adults are the ones fucking with the younger generation. Conversely, this only adds to his already existing hatred towards the elders.

Utahime briefly speculates that he is talking about himself aside from the girl’s with the last statement. 

“Still, isn’t it bothersome for a child of that age to think that it’s normal to play with the body remains?”

“Her father was generally absent, Utahime. No one taught her how to differentiate between normal and not."

The more they tackle the child’s life, the more they loathe those people in the past. The Solidarity of Gojo’s intense dislike for the elders didn’t cross her mind before but this is challenged the moment Utahime starts to understand the reason why through her dreams. To think she used to scold him about respecting his elders.

Gojo tries to put the puzzle together in one piece; the boy, the monk’s corpse, and what the girl is doing with it but nothing comes out from it. From the looks of it, the child will remain an enigma not until they learn everything about her.

Until the day she dies.

“Next time, we might find more clues,” Utahime can see how he ponders on the dream and makes an effort to put his uncertainties away. 

Gojo is hanging out a lot in her apartment every weekday after his daily tasks at school and other missions. Keeping him company is not just assuring her safety but has been oddly comforting to both of them. They’ve known each other for over a decade but never did Utahime find his presence soothing from all those years. It’s a wonder how a child can unite their parents and be the strong bond that ties them together.

“Do you want more tea?” she offers, cutting him off from his rumination. Gojo is wearing his blindfold today so she cannot point out how his eyes are wandering behind.

“Yes, please,” 

Utahime collects the cups and teapot and brings them to the kitchen. She adds boiled water to the teapot to warm for about 10 seconds and then transfers the water from yuzamashi to the teacup. Next, she reaches for the pack of tea leaves from the upper shelf but while doing so, a sudden recollection strikes, right before her very eyes. The sensation is too graphic, pushing her off the side of the table where she placed the cups and it tumbles down the floor, shattering the ceramics.

Everything changes to monochrome, a world composed of black and white. The sparkling clear river turning into a massive pool of crimson blood. The girl grasps the cube-like box in her hands. A box with a thousand eyes, standing at the center of the river of death. 

“...maybe in another life….”

“...I'm sorry, father…”

She gradually faces her, wearing the same light blue kimono, and looks at Utahime, blood gushing out from her eyes.

Utahime yelps out of terror and in a heartbeat, Gojo is standing in front of her, balancing her between the edge of the table.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, agitated. Utahime shifts her body to stand straight.

“I..I saw the child! But the images...the memories…”

It’s fading.

Gojo waits until she catches her breath. 

“What’s the last thing you saw?”

Utahime grits her teeth rewinding the memory. “A river, she died on a river,” she says repetitively, panic is all over her face. She is so used to seeing disturbing happenings as a sorcerer but knowing that it’s the girl connected to the child she’s carrying, Utahime cannot help but to get nervous. 

“And she’s holding something I cannot remember!” she curls her fists, forcing herself to put a name to it.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, no need to pressure yourself,” Gojo puts his hands around her and lowers her fists from her clutch.

“But I have to! I feel that it is important. It might be the key so that we can get out of this situation alive!” her tone elevates to another notch, evidently frustrated that the memory vanished before she could have the chance to use it to prevent the lingering threat in their lives.

“Utahime,” Gojo holds her face, touching her delicate cheek. It is baffling how she relieves from his touch. 

“It’s okay,”

Utahime eases from his hold despite the trepidation deep within her. 

“It’s getting late, aren’t you going to bed yet?” Gojo asks, releasing her, which Utahime finds mysteriously disappointing. 

She then looks for a plastic broom and dustpan to clean the broken cups. “I’ll rest after this,”

Gojo watches her pace from removing the cluttered tiny pieces of the cups to dumping them into the trash bin. As far as the two of them can tell, the flashbacks are getting intense. Now she’s having it even when awake. 

“Gojo,” she mutters with her head down. “Can you stay a little longer?” she returns the cleaning materials back to its shelf.

She cannot see his eyes because of the blindfold but Utahime is sure that Gojo is taken aback. From the way his mouth staggers and his body flinches. 

“You don’t have to, though. I know you’re tired from your mission.” she retracts, silently cursing herself for making a strange question. The rapid anamnesis is troubling her and she wants him to be there just in case it happens again for her to tell him the details right away before it vanishes. Utahime didn’t mean to appear that she wants him to stay for something else.

Or is it?

“Alright,” slipping his hands in his pocket, Gojo agrees.

Utahime feels that her face turns hot when he smiles. She just notices how close their distances are, standing in front of each other.

She hides her embarrassment and marches to her bedroom as Gojo follows forth, watching her crawl in her bed and wrap herself in the warm comforter. Gojo sits on the edge of her bed.

“What are you doing?” Utahime asks confusedly.

Gojo glances at her with the same confusion. “Uh, this is called ‘sitting’, Utahime,”

She breathes out slowly, battling with her mind whether she will push him or not. No, I was the one who asked him to stay. That will be rude of me.  

“Oooh, you want me to join you in bed, is that it?” he teases. “You could’ve told me straight away, I won't say no to that.”

“You wish,” Utahime turns her back at him and shuts her eyes closed. Gojo didn’t move or try to make the tiniest sound on which she appreciates greatly. Comparing him to the Gojo Satoru she knows before, the present Gojo has matured in one way or another. There will always be that annoying part of him that the rest of the world can see and there’s this concealed fragment that only Utahime can decipher.

Ten minutes later, she sits upright, unable to sleep.

“Can’t sleep?” Gojo’s baritone voice is the only thing she can hear from the dim room. She let the door partially closed while the lights from the kitchen give them adequate illumination so that it’s not totally dark inside.

“It’s the caffeine in the tea,” a shuffling of sheets can be heard as she tries to pull it. “Crap, I should’ve drunk the chamomile one,”

“It’s too late to regret it now, Utahime. I know, you must use this then,” he removes his blindfold and puts it over her head. 

Utahime groans in protest, removing the blindfold from her head. But Gojo’s hands are still holding it, forcing her to wear it.

“Quit it!”

“I promise you can sleep well with this!” he laughs at her angry little pout. The night is already deep yet it didn’t stop him from making fun of her.

She pushes him so that she can detach the stupid blindfold off her face. “Gojo! I swear!”

Gojo’s hands hold her arms firmly and when the blindfold slides down to her neck, due to it being unfit on her head, the first thing she sees is his face leaning a little too close to hers. Both of them stiffens on their movements, thinking that if they make one wrong move they would bump noses, or worse…

Gojo tucks Utahime’s hair tenderly at the back of her ear. The action seems so fleeting, natural, and comforting even. She’s lost in his eyes and the same goes for him. 

“Don’t do that,” she whispers.

“I’m not doing anything,” he whispers back. “Just looking at you.” 

He leans down, more, and Utahime’s breath hitched at a loss, unable to budge nor resist. She feels two emotions; one is excitement and the other is fear. She tries to pay attention. But the ringing in her mind and her racing heartbeat - for once she’s not sure if it’s hers or his - these are the things that terminate every capacity, brainpower, her reasoning, out the windows. 

Utahime came to know that what she feels at that moment is something more than attraction. 

“A deal?” Geto gives him a scrutinizing stare. Truthfully, he had expected the man to offer his services. There could only be one possible reason why Gojo Tatsuya seeks him; and it’s that he betrayed his clan, or to be precise, his cousin, Gojo Satoru. 

“I’ll get straight to the point to spare our precious time,” Tatsuya glances at the cursed spirits, looking warily at him. “I am planning to usurp the title heir of the clan from Satoru,” he reveals.

The cursed spirits look at each other. 

“A family drama,” Geto comments, smirking at his tea. He lifted up his face to meet Tatsuya’s gaze. “What makes you think I’ll let a rubbish family feud mix with our goals?” 

Tatsuya has a mocking smile, Geto knows for a fact what that means. It’s that one familiar smile. They’re really blood relatives. 

“Simple, if I take over the position, you will have the luxury to roam free. I can also grant you funds to build this world you’re aiming for,” 

Geto purrs, slightly impressed at the spunk. Fulfilling his goals to make a world with only the sorcerers in it is one thing, running it is another. He had planned to get the funds after wiping out several rich families but none of them can be compared to the wealth of the Gojo clan. The three great families are known to hold abundant fortune that will last for generations to come. And to have an influential man on their side, with none other than the heir, would not just suffice but would also give them excess cash and additional forces.

“Before I continue, I want to confirm, you have that thing, right?” 

Geto’s eyebrows arched and point a finger up, getting what he means.

“Prison Realm,” Tatsuya says. 

“The remnant of the Buddhist monk, Genshin. The single object in this world that could trap anything under the heavens. Yes, it’s in my care, what about it?” Geto verifies coolly, unbothered. 

Tatsuya claps his hands slowly. “Good to know you’re doing research, but actually I am surprised you left the most important part,” a sinister smile breaks out of the corner of his lips. “Do you know that it is owned by the Gojo clan?”

“Oh?” Geto tilts his head. “Then, are you going to take it back?” he asks in a taunting voice. He’s starting to think that making a deal with this fellow isn’t bad as long as their intentions are aligned but Prison Realm is his ace. It would be hard to let it go in exchange. 

The other male laughs. “Heavens, no!” 

The cursed spirits start whispering and even makes a bet who among those two would win in a one on one fight. 

“It is indeed made from the remains of that monk you mentioned. But the one who created it was a member of our clan.”

Geto rests his chin over his palm, elbow on the table. Now he’s intrigued about what else this guy is going to put on the table.

“Have you heard about the Blessed Child?” 

His countenance drastically changed and the cursed spirits muttered a quiet; I think Geto is about to lose his shit now. 

“More than a century ago, our ancestor made a pact with the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane which resulted in a clan curse. I think you have the idea what he asked for: the Six Eyes.” he waltzes approaching Geto. “That one-time plea has an eternal payment. The clan curse consists of having the Blessed Child in our bloodline. Every one hundred years, a child with the ability to neutralize cursed energy is born from the Six Eyes user.” 

Geto expresses surprise for a while but the reaction vanishes nearly instantly. 

“The energy inside the Prison Realm which can seal and stop the flow of cursed energy is nothing but a remnant of that child’s energy.”

He smirked, putting the pieces of the puzzle altogether.

“Satoru is having a child, the reincarnation of the Blessed Child. I’m more than aware of your plans, a world with only the Sorcerers in it. And I am more than willing to cooperate with you to seal my cousin.”

The Blessed Child is bad news from his plans. His goals are aligned with this other Gojo and with that, Geto cannot see why he would turn him down.

Blessing is the opposite of a curse. A huge threat to his plans. With that around, he might not be able to carry out his plans smoothly. 

“There is this garbage clan rule that prevents us from killing a family member. She’s no family member but the child is, and that law will protect that thing as long as the deal within the elders stands.”

“You want me to kill the woman and the child,” more of a statement than a query coming from Geto.

“Precisely,” 

Geto laughed out loud. Ah, bloodline idiots. No matter what the era, a family fights another family member to seek power. 

Amusedly, Geto perks from his seat. “So who is this woman Satoru knocked up?”

Her whole body tingles, the feel of his frame leaning on hers as he cups her face with both hands, nearly forbidden. Utahime meets his lips halfway and Gojo pulls her in, claiming her. Her heart decided to leap from her chest, the smell of him hypnotic beyond reason. It isn’t clear if she dreams of this moment to life but maybe the time stops soon as their lips touch.

Gojo tilts his head for better access in her mouth and Utahime allows it all the same. The sweet, strawberry scent he can smell from her hair fills his nostrils. His lips move like a wave of warmth and she reacts to it instinctively. He feels his insanity leaving him when Utahime envelops his neck around her arms and her taste, it silences his thoughts and makes him want more. 

Is it okay for me to be selfish…?   Gojo asks himself.

A question that only Utahime could answer. 

Chapter Text

October 19, 2018

8:16 am

“...those manuscripts are missing from the records. The family librarian seems to be clueless why there are torn pages from the compilation,” Koharu speaks from the other line.

Gojo has his legs propped on the table of his office, just having his first tea in the morning. He is still in the process of absorbing the information that his sister is so concerned about when Koharu breaks his long-winded silence.

“Satoru, were you listening?”

There is a mild irritation from her voice, a cue for Gojo to give her his whole focus and erase whatever it is that is bothering him at the moment. The trouble being; last night in Utahime’s apartment. He keeps on dawdling and going back to the kiss they shared in her bedroom; everything from the start, their mouths moved on their own, he feels a desire from his heart heating up his chest, making it like a prisoner banging their metal cell. His lips touched her neck, caressed her soft hair with his fingers as she slid her merciful hands inside his shirt and felt the warmth of his body.

“I am!” he answers, unsure if the answer is right or if he ever heard Koharu ask a question at all. 

The woman sighs before continuing. “Part of the missing manuscripts are from the Keicho period, do you get what I am saying?” 

Gojo widens his eyes behind the blindfold, his mouth agape and suddenly he’s back to himself. “What?”

Koharu swears from the other side, arm akimbo on her waist and tapping her foot on the wooden floor.

“Take this seriously Satoru. The family library can only be accessed by the higher family members including you,” she glances at the female servant placing her breakfast on the chabudai. “Someone from the elders took it,” she mutters quietly.

“Wow,that’s a bold move,” that’s too low even from the elders. They’re a disappointment to him so it should not be surprising if they make their lives difficult in these trying times but to think that they would actually be this fearless to steal a hundred-year-old manuscript?

“I’d bet my seat as the heir that it’s Shigeo and that butthole Tatsuya,” his tone is filled with antagonism and sarcasm. No way it could be anyone other than them. It’s too obvious.

“We cannot know for sure,” but Koharu tries to slow it down. As the clan head in-charge, she has to be cautious. “First, we need proofs,”

“Was that rat going after Utahime and my child in broad daylight summoning a curtain, trying to kill them not enough proof?” Gojo’s impatience comes into view.

“Satoru,” Koharu quells his materializing anger or at least tries it. “We need to respect the clan rule. If we go against them without evidence, they can turn the tables into their favors. Worse, we might lose our positions in the family.” That is the last single thing their parents left to them and the very least, Koharu wants to preserve it. Gojo on the other hand couldn’t care less but he cares about his sister and the things she wants to protect.

He massages the bridge of his nose with his fingers. It’s so early in the morning and he’s already daydreaming about murder. 

“Fine, fine,” Gojo sighs and agrees halfheartedly. Oh, how he wants to break the rules and those elders’ necks. “Are you going to send someone who can investigate?”

“I’ll do it myself. It would be suspicious if I sent someone over. Tomorrow, I’m planning to set a meeting with uncle Shigeo in his place,” 

Gojo’s brows are drawn together not liking the sound of it. “Wouldn’t it be risky on your part? Why not hold the meeting in the mansion? Even if you go there with your bodyguards, we can’t tell what that man is up to.”

“He cannot kill me, Satoru. It would be absurd if the clan head visits her relative and suddenly goes missing. Besides, there are conglomerate related matters that I have to ask him. He won’t immediately think that we are being suspicious of his family although that’s exactly what I am aiming for,” the woman smirks to herself.

Gojo chuckles lowly, surely his sister is a person who takes risks. A trait they share. 

“By the way, how’s Utahime?” Gojo constantly informs her about Utahime and the dreams that haunt her. One of the reasons why Koharu is mainly concerned about the missing manuscripts. 

“Eh, uh” he stutters, confusing the elder of the two. Koharu wonders if they fought again. 

“Don’t tell me you keep on arguing. Utahime is still in her first trimester and it’s normal for her to be sensitive at times. You really want that child to kill you, don’t you?” 

“We’re okay,”

Koharu’s eyebrow twitches  “we?”

 “I am not asking about how you guys are doing, only her condition.” she clarifies. She knows that what happened between Utahime and her brother was a one night stand and is aware that they are not in some sort of committed relationship. But Koharu trusts that they are grown-ups and it’s up for them if they want to stay on whatever their relationship is right now or move forward. Not that she has a say in the matter. 

“She’s fine but the dreams are getting worse. She recently had a flashback while being wide awake.” 

“That’s not being fine at all,” Koharu interjects. “Who is she staying with today?”

“A trusted friend of ours. They’re hanging out right now in Harajuku.” 

“Good,” the woman nods. But her gut is telling her that something is bothering her brother.  I wonder what it is.  He’s unusually fidgety today and seems to be spacing out a lot during the call. Curiously, she tries to make him open up.

“So how’s the two of you?”

The question makes him weirdly jittery and accidentally slants the cup he is holding, pouring the hot liquid on his lap. 

“Ouch!” Gojo quakes from his seat, putting down the cup back on the table.  Ah, dammit. 

Koharu frowns at the phone momentarily and returns it over her ear. “Satoru?”

Meanwhile, Yoshio enters his mother’s room and asks if it is his uncle whom she is talking with. The mother and son are mumbling from the other line and Gojo smiles at this.

“Say hi to Yoshio for me and be careful. Remember, you’re entering a lion’s den.” he is uncomfortable with the idea but he trusts Koharu enough. And for once, Gojo would like to believe that their wicked uncle is not that dumb to try something funny against her. 

He takes a roll of tissue paper to wipe the spilled tea off his desk with one hand.

Changing the subject, I see.  The woman mutters to herself and lets it pass. She mentally notes to ask him some other time.

“I’ll inform you of the progress once we’re done talking.” 

“Gotta wait for it. And oh, I promised Yoshio to play baseball again. If I finish my tasks earlier, I could visit this weekend.” he remembers his promise this time and decides to fulfill it. The boy grew up without a father and has always been close to him. 

“Okay, I’ll tell him,” she replies.

“I wanna talk to him moooom!” 

Yoshio wails in the background trying to convince his mother to pass over the phone.

“See ya, big sis,” 

Gojo ends the call and crumples the piece of tissue on his palm before throwing it into the garbage can. He leans back and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, confused about his own feelings. It has always been him who puzzles women and not the other way around. Lost in his thoughts, his mind hovers back to the night before.

This is probably the worse time to think about it; a century-old manuscript from the Keicho period, possibly have something to do with their mysterious unborn child, went missing with the culprit should be none other than their family, and yet Gojo cannot control his thoughts, asking himself over and over what exactly hit him or better yet what he felt that time and why he allowed it. 

Hooking up, going on dates with no strings attached, he’s so used to doing things that don’t involve feelings. Gojo has long accepted that he will dedicate his life and future to changing the old system, a goal that the most powerful sorcerer should be doing. He can kill everyone at the top of the hierarchy if he wishes to but in doing so, he wouldn’t change anything. The cycle will only continue. A cycle of curses. This is why he remained focused on his goal to one day make a difference. 

Not for a moment to build a family one day dawn on him before. But after Utahime and he created a child, albeit unintendedly, Gojo has thought that saving his own child will be his first giant leap forward in achieving his purpose. 

He didn't, however, have thought about what will happen after that. Utahime is way more capable of raising them if ever the three of them get out alive in this situation so it’s obvious that she should get custody over the child, plus, she’s the mother. Initially, they’ve talked before that Utahime is the one to decide on general matters on which he agrees. He has no plans to go against it. They’re not married, let alone in a relationship. 

Gojo spins on his office chair stretching his back. The inkling feeling is slowly consuming him the more he dives deeper in his thoughts. 

His phone which is placed over the table rings, alerting him back to reality. Gojo picks it up to answer. It is Megumi.

“Sensei—”

A crashing sound like something heavy fell from above from where Megumi is. Gojo shifts from his seat to hear more from his student.

“We’re currently engaged in a battle with the group that attacked the goodwill event,” 

Today is the day his students are supposed to deal with the mole in Kyoto. Gojo has sent them before Utahime’s place for her directions. Before the teens left, he reminded them to inform him first of the outcome whether they’re able to capture Mechamaru alive or whatnot, the reason being he is concerned about Utahime’s emotional well being. She’s a mentor who prioritizes her students’ safety above all and Gojo knows that it is very easy for her to get affected by today’s mission. Good thing, Shoko goes with her today so his worries are somehow lessened.

“What’s the situation?”  how could he even call me if they’re in a battle? Are Gojo’s actual thoughts. He hears Nobara and Yuuji’s voices seemingly arguing about going in or not and immediately realizes what’s going on. “Ooooh, you guys got caught up in a fight, is that it?”

Megumi argues back with Nobara and Yuuji and Gojo sighs. Looks like the other two want to get in the middle of someone else’s fight while Megumi wants to carry on the mission to take the mole and retreat. That is so Megumi, balancing the two dimwits in his team. 

“Sensei! Kokichi Muta is against Mahito right now and—” it is Yuuji.

“Yuuji-kun,” Gojo says in a haste. “I’m not allowing you to get in a fight that involves that group as of now. Don’t make a brash action.”  I know you want to exorcise him right there but it’s not yet the right time. 

Gojo reads the situation well and assesses if his students are in a safer position. Megumi turns his phone on loudspeaker so the other two could hear his directions. There are explosive sounds in the background and he doubts the enemy and their target have time to notice their presence.

“Wait for the fight to be over and once Mechamaru is soon to lose,” which he will, for sure.

“Get him and run.”

Utahime keeps on glancing on her phone waiting for Gojo’s students to update her about the mission. Shoko walks beside her along Takeshita street and notices her anxiousness.

“Utahimeeee, I thought we’re here to have fun?” Shoko pulls a face diverting her attention. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” feeling the guilt of not focusing on ‘having fun’, Utahime puts her phone inside her black sling bag. 

Shoko places a hand over her arm. “Let’s trust the students to handle it,” the woman says reassuringly. Gojo has spilled the beans about the mole in Kyoto and how Utahime is worrying over it. As her good friend, Shoko wants to distract her from her thoughts by spending time with her. 

Shoko points out the goods displayed around them in the shopping district. Little by little, Utahime’s attention is diverting, easing out her brooding even for a bit. 

“Look at this, Shoko,” the woman points a finger at the cute and squishy ragdoll inside a glass case. She crouches putting her palms on her knees, gazing at the doll. 

The other woman looks at it closely. “That’s cute,” the ragdoll is a small girl with long brown hair, dressed in a peach flowery sleeveless dress matched with peach shoes and an adorable pink ruffled hat. 

“I think she will like this,” Utahime coos.

Shoko came to a realization that she is certain about the child’s gender.

“Have you thought about the names yet?” she asks, hoping she has prepared a name for a boy too just in case. 

“Hmm, I have a few names in mind for a girl and a boy but Gojo says he will think of some as well.” 

“I see,” Shoko nods in relief. Some parents have preferences about their child’s gender and she has heard that it sometimes causes disappointment if their wild guess doesn't turn out to be true. But she trusts that it’s not going to be the case for Utahime and Gojo.

Utahime’s air changed upon the mention of Gojo, having the look like missing something in her possession, eyes wandering and often stammering mid-sentence when Shoko asks whether the man is still bickering with her despite her condition but Utahime is kind of avoiding to expand the conversation and simply answers in one word or two. 

They proceed to a cozy cafe to have lunch. A waitress comes over and hands them the menu. It takes Utahime a little while before finally deciding what to order, suddenly picky about what to eat. She’s never a picky eater before and it frustrates her that her sense of taste has been changing rapidly. 

Utahime points at the dish on the menu. “This one please, like the last time.” 

“Oh,” the waitress looks at her in recognition. “You’re the one with a very handsome man from last time!” she hides her smile over the tray she is holding. The waitress is in her late thirties and appears to be quite the type to spread rumors in her workplace. “The younger waitresses here notice how gorgeous your boyfriend is and keeps on gossiping about him.” she giggles.

Utahime goes silent, staring at the woman dumbly. Shoko makes faces and tries her best not to laugh. If a man and a woman eat together in such a place that could be counted as romantic, it is normal for everyone to assume that they are dating. 

“You are so lucky! Men in that caliber don't often stay committed to one woman,” the waitress lists their orders as she continues to talk about unsolicited advice and opinions on dating an intensely attractive man. “Ten minutes of preparation before your orders are served,” she informs them with a gleeful smile and Shoko nods to confirm while Utahime remains stupefied.

“Thank you,” Shoko nods again at the waitress in a manner of hoping that she walks away before Utahime completely submerges in the awkwardness. Fortunately, the waitress takes her leave to submit their orders in the kitchen.

“So,” Shoko starts to ease the uncomfortable expression on Utahime’s face. “Are you guys getting along well?” it is an innocent question but for some reason, Utahime’s skin turns a shade paler. Guilt emerged as she recalled their kiss last night.

“Utahime, are you okay?” Shoko asks, troubled. “Do you feel lightheaded?”

“No—I mean, yes, I am okay,” Utahime staggers and fakes a smile. “Just hungry,”

Shoko detects the lie. “Did Gojo do something?” it is no brainer that the two of them have endless banters before. In all honesty, Shoko cannot still wrap her head around the fact that those two are going to have a child together. Sure, she has seen the subtle hints of their subconscious curiosity towards each other but in their line of duty, it is the last thing one could think of in happening. Gojo is not someone who can be tied in a relationship and Utahime is too dedicated to her work.

“Shoko, I have something to tell you,” 

Utahime’s nervousness is visible, fumbling her fingers and refusing to meet her eyes. Shoko’s curiosity rose to another level. She doesn’t fret over anything superficial. Utahime is a woman who always knows what she wants and what to prioritize and rarely she confides with something of a big deal.

“What is it?” Shoko leans forwards eagerly. If it’s regarding Gojo, she can’t see why it sounds serious. That man may be difficult to understand at times but she doubts he would throw problems at Utahime on that level. 

“Something happened between us,”

Shoko’s eyes flicker. Isn’t that the exact reason why Utahime is pregnant right now? The woman starts thinking she’s missing out on what her friend means by that.

“...last night,” 

Shoko stares at her, wonderstruck.

“But we didn’t go  that  far!!” Utahime throws her hands in the air and her face turns beet red. At this point, Shoko’s lips are quivering in anticipation. The usual weary look on her face gone.

“We just—kissed, and I don’t know how long but…”

Still staring.

“I swear my body moved on their own and accepted him. But then I pushed him away. After that, it was….embarrassing.” Utahime sinks in her seat lowering her head. She wants to bury her face onto the table if not because of the other customers in the cafe.

“You had a make-out session,” Shoko points out, nodding. Looking at her friend closely.

Utahime opens her mouth but says nothing while Shoko chooses her words before speaking again.

“I’m in no position to ask this because I know this is between you and Gojo but,” she starts after a second of musing. “What do you plan about the child? And the two of you?” 

The question has struck her more than she expected. Utahime turns her gaze at Shoko. “We never really talked about us but I am going to take full custody of the child. I won’t deny him his rights as the father and the child will know him when the time comes,” a hint of indecisiveness is clear on her as if she has decided it unwillingly.

“Utahime, you know that’s not how it’s going to work,” Shoko glances at the people around and tries to lower her voice. “Gojo is the father, of course, he has a say in this,” she is a close friend to both of them and can see both sides. Initially, Shoko doesn’t want to get in the middle of their business, it’s their life, but she also thinks that if she is not the right person to say these things then no one is going to tell them.

Utahime draws a long breath. “You and I both know that Gojo didn’t make the child because we love each other. We should stay this way. It’s not going to end in a favorable situation for both of us,”

Shoko shakes her head.

“People have emotions, you and Gojo can have real feelings for each other,” she insists. If they’re already in the stage where they allow each other to be touched then it’s predictable that sooner or later they will do it again. As a doctor, she understands how the human psyche works, and humans tend to do the things they are suppressed in doing. Attraction and affection can coexist and nothing is stronger than concealed feelings. 

“Gojo is not that type of man,” Utahime looks away outside the windows, fully believing that Gojo can’t truly love her or if that man is capable of loving a woman in the first place. That man has a future to look forward to as the heir of their clan and based on his personality, he won’t let some silly commitment hinder his goal to revise the sorcerer system.

Even though for once, she wants to be wrong about him this time.  A silent hope disguised as denial.

 “Anyway, whatever happened last night won’t be happening again,” 

“But Utahime,”

“He cares about his child, that's why he takes care of me, that’s all,” Utahime says with finality in her voice. Shoko leaves the topic as it is, not wanting to appear nosy. Even if she badly wants Utahime to see her point of view.

The waitress approaches their table and smiles before neatly placing the dishes in front of them. They eat in silence. Shoko believes that Utahime is more of being scared than doubting Gojo’s capability to love someone. There is no doubt in Shoko’s mind that her friend is afraid of being hurt by him. She wouldn’t chicken out while they’re making out if she is sure of what he feels about her. 

However, Shoko can tell that Utahime has already crossed the border between their relationship. 

Something is wrong.

Utahime has told him not to enter her apartment and refused to talk to him when he asked her how her day was with Shoko nearly slamming her door onto his face when she shuts it close.  They've briefly discussed the result of the mission over the phone and she sounded fine or maybe he entirely missed out the clues on what her problem is. 

Gojo is waltzing inside his room. What the heck did I do?  With folded arms, he sighs exasperatedly and fishes out his phone from his pocket to send her a message.

“.......”

Gojo drops his back on his bed and rolls.  Shit, what am I doing?  He stares at the blank ‘compose a message’ in his phone, clueless on what to tell her. This is a first. The fact that he runs out of ways to take her attention this time is getting into him. Gojo groans in frustration. No, this can’t be happening. 

He is going to ask her why. That’s what he decided. But he backpedals on his way, suspecting what the reason could be.  Is it because of last night? Gojo wonders and scratches his temple. He can’t see what else should be their problem other than that. The kiss ended in an awkward fashion with Utahime backing out halfway, pushing him all of a sudden. But it was simply a kiss and the fact that they did something worse than that.  

 I don’t get it.   

Gojo cannot confirm it alone. He needs to ask her. Setting his thoughts aside, he faces the door of her apartment and places his hand on the knob, turning it.

“Uta-hi-me!” Gojo pushes the door in a barbaric way, his trademark annoying habit in a sorry attempt for Utahime to notice him is activated. 

He hears quiet footsteps emerging from the kitchen until Utahime’s displeased face greets him back. 

“What?” she didn’t even try to hide the irritation this time. She looks like she just woke up from a nap and is on her way to the kitchen when he entered.

Gojo grins stupidly, inappropriately. This man is called a genius of their clan yet failed to do something so basic as reading the room. 

“I’m not in the mood.” Utahime goes into her room, shutting the door close but a hand stops it.

“Hey, let’s talk,” 

The corners of her eyes crinkled. Her conversation with Shoko is ceaselessly interrupting her mind causing her to avoid Gojo. Hundreds of what ifs and many other questions pops one after another.

“I’m tired, maybe another time.” she deadpans.

“You avoiding me?” Gojo reckons. 

This time, Utahime lost her cool.

“So what if I am avoiding you?” she pulls the door open and steps forward. “This isn’t right, we shouldn’t be doing this!”

Gojo’s eyes flutter open at her outburst. “Eh? What do you mean ‘this’? Utahime we’ve been doing this for two months because it’s the only choice we have.”

“Yes we are doing this for the child and that’s all!” she's so tired of his cluelessness and wants to end the talk right here. Still, that small voice deep within her wants her to be wrong. 

He lifts an eyebrow, staring at her anger, confused.  I don’t get women. 

“Yeah, we do,” Gojo answers and her expression changed to being hurt. Now what?

“But why do you have to act like that? If it’s about last night then it’s just a kiss.”

Utahime gapes at him. Her hands squeezed into fists. The words ‘it’s just a kiss’ rewinding in her head like a broken record and her heart aches. She has expected this but it still hurts. After everything, it's just a meaningless, stupid kiss. She hates him but she also hates herself for hoping it could be something more. It's pathetic, she feels pathetic.

Gojo can never take her seriously.

“You’re impossible!” she screams, anger out in the open. “You take everything for granted! I got stuck in this situation and threw my life for this all because of you!”

“Utahime—”

“You’re nothing but a prick who uses people!”

“Stop it,”

“I hate you! And I hate myself for falling for a selfish person like you!”

Gojo’s entire body freezes, his jaw drops and his brain stops processing the words that left Utahime. Recognition dawns on her and quickly spun her heels to go back into her room when she felt a tug on her arm, pulling her close until her lips crashed to another.

“Gojo mmpf—!!” 

He silenced her with his mouth. An aggressive, vehement kiss from a man who desperately tries but fails every time how to express himself to the only woman he craved for more than a decade. 

But Utahime pushes him away forcefully, obviously scandalized. 

“Don’t make my life any harder than it already is!” she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand in an attempt to clean her lips from being claimed by him a few moments ago. 

Unfortunately for him, the disgusted reaction that came from her registers in his mind as rejection. Gojo gulps and lowers his head.

“I understand.” he mumbles.

For the first time since she had known him, Utahime witnessed a foreign emotion from Gojo. 

And that is pain.

Chapter Text

October 21, 2018

Whistling away his period of thoughts about their incoming vital action, Geto whirls the teacup in his hand gently, his legs crossed sitting atop of a giant rock while admiring the view that is before him. The vermillion sky complements the bloodbath that’s going to come ten days from now. 

“You seemed like you had some trouble there,” he grumbles amusedly after detecting a familiar footfall from behind. Geto smirks, imagining Mahito’s face. 

“Haaaa~” Mahito stretches his arms and neck, Geto can sense that he was weakened. “I can’t believe I lost him, that was close! But then…” he plops down next to Geto. “Sukuna’s vessel and his friends intrude on our fight.” Mahito scowls like a child who lost his favorite toy. “I thought they’re going to join, silly. They planned to take him and run away as fast as they could.”

Geto stifles a laugh. “At least tell me you nearly killed him. He knows our plan, it would be troublesome if that robot informs the Jujutsu High people.”

“No worries!” Mahito pipes. “Umm, I don’t know how to call this is in human terms but he’s good as dead by now,”

“He’s in a coma,” Geto finishes his drink. “They have someone who might heal him in Tokyo. Ieri Shoko.” 

“Are you sending me there?”

“No, we have to carry the plans. There’s no guarantee that Shoko can heal the likes of him. She’s skilled but I doubt that a person with Heavenly Restrictions can be healed by her techniques,” he says simply. Heavenly Restrictions are the equivalent of a person’s fate. Meaning, their skill set is fixed upon birth. No one in the entire sorcerer world could bend that pact from the heavens. But Geto remembers something and smirks, he wonders if the Blessed Child can do it since they're not technically a part of the sorcerer lineage. They have zero cursed energy and are born to repel it.  How amusing, to think that such a person exists. 

Mahito hums and nods. “Then, we’re going to let him go? I guess that’s okay, he can’t do anything to destroy our plans. I’m sure of that.” he simpers and notices that the other man is only half listening.

“How was your meeting with that shady guy?” 

“It went well. On October 31, we will carry out our goal to seal Gojo Satoru.”

“Hehe~” Mahito teeters squirming while stretching his injured arm. “At least I got to see something nice before the start of the real show.”

Geto briefly talks about the commissioned screen they are going to put around Shibuya, feeding Mahito the important details he had discussed with the others.

Mahito’s eyes grow upon the mention of his exact mission that day. Excitement is flowing all over him.

“You want me to kill Gojo Satoru’s woman?!” he repeats with clear enthusiasm. “Man! Is it also my birthday?!” 

Geto chuckles at his reaction. “The name is Iori Utahime and she’s also carrying his unborn child. Knowing Gojo Satoru, he won’t let single harm get onto her and his child so let’s assume that he assigned someone to protect her,”

“That’s what I like,” Mahito smirks. After all, what fun would it bring him killing a weak, pregnant woman? He starts thinking about how he should do it; will he make her run before chasing her and killing her off or will he go for a torture method? A pity, he would like to witness if he can’t land a blow on Gojo Satoru and it’s also a thousand times better if the man is there to watch his beloved die. 

“What about that shady guy? What's he going to do while we work our asses off?”

“He’s coming with me to Shibuya. I will need at least twenty minutes to fulfill the plan and he’s going to join Jogo and the others to buy time.” 

“With that magic box, eh?” Mahito clears his ear with a pinky finger. “I might start to like that guy. He wants to give Gojo Satoru some parting words before sealing him! What a sadist!” he delights. 

“Speaking of some parting words, just a fair warning, you should be cautious around that woman.” Geto notifies. “The Blessed Child can cancel cursed energy but because they’re still in the womb, their powers are only limited. It’s better to be cautious nonetheless.”

“Haa, how troublesome. We should really kill them.” Mahiro yawns and lies his back down onto the rock. 

“Absolutely,” Geto gives him a sage nod. 

A person who can cancel cursed energy has no place in the world of sorcerers. 

She had four half-brothers. All of them from her father’s second wife after her mother died giving birth to her. She maintained a considerable amount of distance from them accidentally hurting her brother with her blessed energy. The family suspected that it was because a mere girl was jealous of her brothers, thinking the clan head position would be passed down to one of the boys because she did not possess cursed energy. 

“That’s enough.”

A deep voice coming from her father silenced everyone once again, declaring that the offer to her still stands as the clan heir. As expected, the members of the family refused to accept it.

“She is weak! She cannot lead our clan!”

“The only thing she can do is to hurt the sorcerers!”

“She killed her mother, her brother, and the next will be you!”

Leaves fell from the old maple trees, another time for her father to leave.

“Again?” she sulks in front of the mansion as her father prepares for a war to come. Garbed with full battle armor from head to toe, weapons carried by his horse. 

“I will be back like always,” her father smiled, shuffling her hair.

She knows that her father was strong, perhaps the strongest due to his special eyes. The one he asked from the spirit of their ancestor. But the eternal payment from those powerful eyes caused a Heavenly Restriction to have someone like her in their bloodline to balance the immense power he held. To stabilize the altered world. By killing him. 

And only killing him. 

Her father, the last person in the world who cared for her.

-xxx-

“Would you feel sad if I’m gone?”

A distant memory from her younger self. The boy looked at her quizzically. 

She wondered if the world would feel sad without her in it. 

And doubt it.

Her father saved people from the curses while the only thing she could was to counter it.

-xxx-

“Father!”

They were surrounded by their wrathful family. Countenance speaks nothing but death. Murderous crystal blue eyes glared back.

Until everything went black.

-xxx-

“Do you know what it feels like to not be able to curse when the world curses you?”

October 31, 2018

6:35 pm

Utahime snaps finding herself daydreaming while standing amidst the busy streets. Beside her is a confused teenager, calling her several times before she recollects herself.

“Utahime-sensei, are you alright?” Yuuji looks at her worriedly. The student is currently assigned to accompany her going and returning from Jujutsu High to visit her former student Kokichi Muta who is under Shoko’s care after Gojo’s students successfully caught him. However, the battle between Kokichi and the patched faced cursed spirit left him in a state of deep unconsciousness for an indefinite period. Only time can tell until he wakes up again. 

What happened to her father?  Just then, an image of Gojo flashes in her vision, walking away from them going to oblivion. She almost called his name if not because of bouncing back to reality. 

“Sensei?”

It takes a second and it disappears again. She’s having cold sweats and she’s breathing rapidly like she drained her cursed energy.  It can’t be.  It must be the child’s technique. 

“I’m fine, Itadori-kun,” she lies and starts walking again. Her wobbly legs couldn’t keep up her pace and she accidentally slips on the road but before she even hits the ground, Yuuji grabs her arms, saving her from the fall.

Utahime has discovered recently that her body is getting weaker as the child grows in her womb.  It’s only the second month, this can’t be happening, 

“Sensei!” the boy is alarmed at her paleness like she’s going to lose consciousness at any second. “Hold on, I’ll call Gojo-sensei,”

“No,” Utahime moves to lean on a wall of a restaurant, panting heavily. “Don’t call him. I’ll be fine.” she stops his hand from dialing a number.

“But you’re….”

“I’ll be fine. Just a minute.” she gives him a weak smile as she struggles to collect her strength. Utahime doesn’t think that she deserves Gojo’s help right now, not after their last argument. Gojo has distanced himself from her and so did she, only conversing through a text when it’s severely necessary. That being said, they haven’t really talked in a while. Gojo has personally directed Yuuji to chaperone Utahime every time she goes outside. When he’s not available due to his mission and other projects at school, Nobara or Megumi will substitute him. It has been twelve days since she last saw Gojo.

After a few minutes, Yuuji helps her walk to her apartment. She feels bad to worry the boy like this.

“Itadori-kun, can I ask something from you?” Utahime descends to the couch, feeling at ease to finally get a rest after a long day. “Can you please not tell Gojo about this?”

Yuuji has a tiny pout on his lips as if rejecting the request. But he has no heart to turn her down right in front of her face. 

“Uh, I….”

“I’m sorry to bother you but I know he’s kind of busy lately and I don’t want to disturb him,” Utahime explains. Yuuji has mentioned that Gojo is regularly away for some reason and none of them knows where he goes after a mission. The man has been noticeably in an iffy mood too, either pulling pranks on the other faculty members particularly Nanami or is mysteriously missing for long periods. There is no in-between.

The teen unwillingly nods, looking away. 

“Aren’t you going with your classmates? You can leave now. Thank you again for your company.” she smiles gratefully.

“But, is it okay to leave you like this? Are you still dizzy?” Yuuji asks concernedly. He doesn't know if he can have the strength to face Gojo again once something bad happens to his fiancee. 

“I feel better now, thank you for your concern,” Utahime assures.

Yuuji leaves her apartment a bit hesitant later.

Utahime is relieved to know that Mechamaru was caught alive although he was left in that condition. Shoko has told her that a possibility of his death is still present which leads her to reveal everything to the Kyoto students. She had called Miwa about it for the girl to say it to the rest. It would be suspicious if Mechamaru malfunctioned out of the blue without explanations. 

She sighs and puts a hand over her forehead. She feels cold and extremely tired and she cannot feel her cursed energy. Utahime gently caresses her abdomen. She’s in the second month of her pregnancy so the bump is still not perceptible from the people who don't know her real condition. 

Her mind wanders back to the Gojo mansion and remembers the possibility of her death during the pregnancy. So this is how it feels like… Utahime wants to be strong until the delivery of her child. It is not that she underestimated the effects of the child’s cancellation technique, it is more that she overestimated herself in staying strong.

It’s too much … Utahime groans and heaves a deep sigh, taking out her phone. 

Gojo…

She stares at his number with sadness in her eyes. 

Twelve days, it’s been twelve days.

October 31, 2018

7:00 PM

“Fainted?”

“Y-yeah, almost,” 

If there is something Yuuji Itadori can never do, it is putting someone in danger just because he chose to hide the truth. His conscience will endlessly torture him if he didn’t tell Gojo about what happened to Utahime while they were walking. Yuuji is on his way to meet with Nobara and Megumi in the school when he decides to call their sensei.

Gojo goes silent for a few seconds, correctly deducing that the child has something to do with it. He considers that maybe he should check her out personally. They agreed to only converse in dire condition and this is definitely an emergency. Gojo doesn’t see anything wrong with talking with her just this time.

“Okay, thanks for telling me Yuuji-kun,” he smiles, knowing his student successfully defeated his own demons for disclosing it. He is sure  that Utahime asked the boy to not tell him about it.

It’s only the second month. He mutters to himself when the call ends. I didn’t expect their power would develop this fast. He turns his heels to pay her a visit when his phone rings again, receiving a call from the higher-ups.

A four hundred meter radius curtain was cast centered at the Tokyu Department Store Toyoko branch at 7:00 PM. A curtain that only traps civilians with the sorcerers, as well as auxiliary managers can come and go as they please. All receptions are blocked leaving the Jujutsu sorcerers no other choice but to communicate outside the curtain. They are wondering how on earth the roads and the busy intersection are empty on a Halloween night. Looks like everyone is spread out near the curtain’s perimeter.

Weirdly enough, they are begging for the same thing;  Bring Satoru Gojo.

It is an advanced barrier technique that couldn’t be broken by raw strength. It will take immense power to take it down, leading them to assume that the culprits are the ones behind the Goodwill event incident, the only group they can think of to pull out such a crazy idea.

8:31 PM Gojo Satoru arrives at Hikarie ShinQ’s basement 1. Gojo watches the mess of the sea of people trapped in the place.

“The curtain aboveground that’s trapping non-sorcerers originates from somewhere down below huh?” 

He jumps from people to people trying to look from the source. Hah, another mission on a holiday. Just like last year. Can’t these evildoers give them some slack?

Gojo arrives at the Fukutoshi line platform at 8:40 pm and there he finds the familiar looking enemies from the Goodwill Event. Volcano head and two others. 

Gojo sighs. “I’m really pissed off at the moment so no excuses if you lose again this time, okay?” he needs to finish this quickly so he can go to Utahime. Based on his calculations, it might take him ten to fifteen minutes. 

“Don’t you worry about us,” Jogo responds. “Just be sure to have your first-ever excuse ready!” they need to buy time for Geto and the Prison Realm. 

The enemies aim to create a wall of people to trap him inside the platform. Gojo realizes this instantly but the question is why? A fight erupts in a nanosecond and Gojo exchanges blow with a blood manipulation user and volcano head.

“Domain amplification!” 

Domain amplification looks like it’s the same as new shadow’s simple domain. If you think of simple barrier techniques as a box or prison that traps its target….with this method I am now vulnerable to their attacks, heh . Gojo analyzes it, it’s a good choice of technique against him. But still not enough for him to be completely overwhelmed. Even his two-month unborn child could do better than these dumbasses, he thinks to himself and smirks. 

“I’m surprised you think you could defeat me using your sorry excuse of a brain,” Gojo removes his blindfold and glares at Jogo threateningly with his unique set of eyes, looking down at every opponent.

 “Hey weed, this is our third meeting right? And you haven’t learned anything yet? You’re going down first.” 

Gojo advances and grabs volcano head before he could even react, snatching his collar and releases raw kicks and punches, deactivating Infinity in the process.

“Don’t deactivate your amplification, Hanami!” Jogo screams as Gojo goes for him with a frightening smile on his face, grasping a part of Hanami’s head and tears it apart mercilessly. Gojo smashes the cursed entity’s entire body by reactivating Limitless, slamming him onto the wall and ultimately sending him to death. 

He shoots a sidelong glance at Jogo furiously. “Next,” the cursed spirit stiffens, aghast. 

“He looks like he’s in a hurry! Crap! I still need to buy more time but now Hanami is….” 

Gojo lunges forward to chase him and Jogo bolts backward. “Choso! I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t help!” the murderous intent from the strongest sorcerer alive is formidable. 

A train stops and the people start running towards it. 

“He’s here! Fucking finally!” Jogo spits out in relief and the train door opens, sending another batch of agitated passengers outside, smashing to the wall of people that are already on the platform. It is chaotic. Gojo turns his attention to the terrified civilians and finds multiple dead bodies lying inside the train.

“Get out of our way! He’s going to kill us!” shouts a man at the top of his lungs.

From the horde, a number of people are holding a broken shard seemingly from the train’s shattered window and stabs the others from behind until they’re begging for their lives. The smell of blood and rotten innards thick in the air. People killing people.

Gojo immediately recognizes the technique and stares at the emerging man. 

Tatsuya scans the surrounding emotionless until he meets Gojo’s eyes smiles.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Tatsuya?!” Gojo growls. He knows that Tatsuya has been perpetually against him but never did he think of him joining forces with the enemies. He’s a sorcerer, for fucks sake. 

Tatsuya smirks, pleased at Gojo’s reaction. “I’m here to take my seat, Satoru.”

“You’re wha-”

The man throws a cube-like box in front of him and Gojo stares at it, stunned. 

Gate open.

“Yo Satoru!” 

If discovering that his cousin, a member of the great Gojo clan has turned to kill innocent lives in exchange for whatever the hell it is is not enough to shock him. Gojo’s undivided attention shifts to the incoming man.  That voice. That stance. That face.

What stands there is somebody who he killed last year with his own hands. His best friend.

Is he fake? Is this some kind of transformation technique?  Gojo gapes at the man before him, refusing to accept it. But all possibilities are rejected by the Six Eyes. And then it all comes flowing into his brain, three years of his youth with Geto Suguru, the only friend he had. Although it was instant, in his head, one minute has passed a long time ago.

The Prison Realm opens, revealing one giant eye-catching him off guard with its energy canceling flesh and trapping his entirety.

“I can’t feel any cursed energy in my body and I can’t move a muscle either. Exactly what on earth is this thing-”  something in his brain clicks. It is the exact feeling whenever the child is interrupting his cursed energy flow.  No, it cannot be . But he can’t figure it out the reason how.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” 

“Geto Suguru, have you forgotten? How sad.” Geto or the man inside him replies dramatically. 

Gojo tries to move from the enigmatic mass of flesh that stops him from moving to no avail. “My Six Eyes tells me that you are Suguru Geto but my soul knows otherwise! Hurry up and answer! Who the hell are you!” he demands again, voice echoing around the platform.

Tatsuya has a look of satisfaction to see him like this. What a sight. How he longed to dream for a view to see Satoru suffering. But they’re just starting. 

Geto removes the top part of his head and shows an entire brain. “How did you know?” he laughs. Gojo has his eyes wide, astounded. “It’s a cursed technique that allows me to hop between bodies by switching brains. It also lets me use the innate techniques from the body. Convenient, right?” 

Gojo grits his teeth in anger and frustration at not being able to move his body from this thing. 

“Worry not, the seal will be over in a hundred years maybe? You know you’re just too strong, you’re in the ways of my plans. Oh? Are you mad? Perhaps you’re directing your anger in the wrong person.” Geto snickers and gestures at Tatsuya. Gojo glares at his cousin, wanting to gouge his eyeballs for giving him a funny look.

“Thank the Blessed Child, really, for creating a great invention,” Tatsuya says.

“What do you mean?!”

The dark-haired man sniggers. “That child you’re protecting is the very same person who made this prison of canceling cursed energy. It is fate Satoru, you cannot fight it. You’ll get killed by that thing, so does that woman. The child hasn't been born yet and they already put you into a checkmate. Poetic cinema isn’t it?” Tatsuya taunts.

Everything that happened in a very short amount of time has caused his mind to overload with thoughts, feelings, and burdens.  Utahime!  He shakes his body in a pitiful try to get away from this. 

Gate close.

“Good night, Gojo Satoru, see you again in the new world.”

10:07 PM

A deafening peal of thunderclaps from the sky and Utahime flinches as she watches the rain from outside. Her sense as a sorcerer tells her that something bad is happening at the moment, making her uncomfortable. It was sunny earlier and suddenly it’s raining cats and dogs and there's no news about this raging rain either. Gojo often jokes about global warming despite making no sense on the topic. Utahime finds herself chuckling, remembering his stupid humor. She scoots to her bed and finds that her phone is glowing, the noise from the rain prevented her to hear its ringing sounds. Utahime stares at the screen wondering why Koharu is calling her. How rare. 

“Hello?”

“Utahime!” panic is clear in her voice and Utahime is quickly alerted. “Get your things! I’m going to pick you up any minute now!” Koharu commands.

Utahime gasps and stutters, not sure what she should ask first. “What’s going on?” 

“I will explain everything later, now quick! Get everything and run outside!” 

“W-wait, Koharu, I need to know in simple words what is happening!” she asks, storming to look for her luggage. Utahime pulls her closet open and checks her things. She has met Koharu and has the impression that she’s a level headed individual. Knowing how frenzied the woman is right now then this must be something serious. 

Koharu prepares herself to say the word she has never thought of happening, ever. 

“Satoru has been sealed.”

His body was dumped on a land of skulls and bones, a gloomy forest, and a muddy, filthy ground. There is no helping. He cannot feel his cursed energy in this place. Tatsuya’s words are stuck in his thoughts and that thing disguising as his very best friend. Gojo growls in vexation. FUCK!  Everything’s fucked. He trusts everyone to deal with their enemies but he cannot trust anyone to solve the instance regarding the Blessed Child.

So that’s how they’re called.  How the hell did Tatsuya know about these?!  Gojo goes back on Koharu’s call the other time.  The stolen manuscripts!  Answering his own questions. 

He stands to scour the area, his palms meeting the grimy ground. The place looks like it’s straight out from a horror movie where a lost human is stuck in a cursed forest. Gojo laughs at his miserable situation. No cursed energy means no cursed techniques. Nothing at all. Nothing.

Ah, shit. He exhales sharply and gazes at the tiny light, a boundary between the land filled with skeletons - past victims of the box perhaps - and slowly walks towards it with keen interest.

Numerous dead trees are towering him. For the first time in his life, Gojo feels like an ordinary man, lost in the fields of demise. 

“Huh?” he peers at the darkness as he approaches the mist and the glistening pale light. He stops abruptly, silencing his footsteps against the burnt grass. He listens closely at the familiar hum, a mellow voice of a child - a girl, from a distance.

Gojo continues, now with desperate urgency. Not minding dipping his legs in the shabby river, the water splashing in his every step until he meets the murky ground again and profusely advances. 

He holds his breath, gazing at the girl wearing a light blue kimono facing her back at him. The girl is crouching down inside the heart of the forest, under the restrained light. Her long silver hair strikingly similar to his. She’s around six years of age, just like when Utahime first talked about her.

“You’re…” he didn’t know what hit him to utter those words. Gojo remains rooted in the ground, flabbergasted at this possibility. 

When the east wind blows...

Let it send your fragrance..

The girl stops humming and her shoulders stiffen, noticing another presence behind her. She turns her head around, holding an unfinished version of the prison realm in her small hands. She gazes at him with emotions that make Gojo’s remaining senses break. The girl faces him fully and her face lights up. What he sees through those innocent eyes is longing. 

“I made this, father!"

Chapter Text

There is no concept of heaven and earth inside the realm. An eerie, otherworldly forest. Vast landmass filled with contorted trees and a chilling air. 

 Gojo stares at the box which looks nothing but an ordinary thing made from something he cannot point out. It is bladder-brown, a color of decomposing substance but in the form of a cube. 

“I made this, father!” the girl hands the box out from her palms. Her dark eyes glimmering with pride. A typical child who wants to please her parent. The act is all too familiar. Gojo stands there, remembering the time when he was little. That time when he was bent to appease his elders until he woke up one day and he decided that he hated that stuff.

His jaws are left hanging, confusion, and surprise mauling each other inside his head. He had dealt with children before; Yoshio, Megumi and his sister. Years passed by and he still has no idea how to properly interact with a child. Yoshio is his nephew, a close blood relative while he acts as Megumi and Tsumiki’s guardian. He may be a good provider but Gojo does not consider himself good with taking care of kids. He is unaware of his infuriating habits but he is aware that he is awkward around these tiny humans.

Although the entire hellish place is the child’s realm, Gojo doesn’t feel any sort of malice towards her. As they say, blood is blood and cannot be ignored. The emotion that emanates from his chest landing his gaze on the girl’s cheerful face as she holds out the box is nothing compared to what he feels when his students successfully finished a difficult mission. It goes without saying that his students are precious to him and that he is happy to watch them get stronger but the pride he has for the child before him, however, is more potent.

Gojo hunches over so that they’re on eye level. “You made this?” he acknowledges and the girl takes his palm and places the object on it. Her tiny hands dwarfed his.

“This is amazing.” Gojo cannot disregard the fluttering sensation in his chest as he scrutinizes the supposedly abominable box but that’s not how he sees it right now. His heart is swelling with enormous pride. So this is what a father feels like . To have a brilliant daughter who can think of creating this .

The girl observes his amusement with the same longing in her eyes and bows her head and then proceed in hiding her arms on her back. A gesture common for a child when they did something bad and is about to face trouble with their parents. 

“In the end, I wasn’t able to save you from our fate.” 

Gojo lifts his head and stares at her as if reading her memories. Right, the former Six Eyes user was killed by the child according to their family’s records. But seeing how remorseful and innocent the girl leaves several questions.

How did everything happen?

“Father,” her onyx eyes meet his crystal blue ones. “Are you mad at me?” 

Without warning, the realm turns upside down. A sharp wind blows and monochromatic spirals surround them. The image of the forest starts revolving like the earth is to the sun. Gojo is caught by surprise but chooses to stay calm. This is her realm, her domain and even though he doesn’t have a bit of cursed energy, he doesn’t need it to feel that she has nothing against him. 

The look on her face.

The Six Eyes will always remember.

Age 0, Spring

It was as if the apocalypse happened when she was born. There was drought, famine, war. Like their domain took every misfortune in the land. She was born a year after her father’s pact with the spirit of Sugawara, a manifestation that the heavens had given out the bloodline curse.

She is the Blessed Child. The price of the pact. The eternal payment was born to balance the altered world when the Six Eyes existed. It was said in the ancient scriptures that depending on what part of the body should a Great Spirit enhance, the worse the exchange would be. From feet, limbs, torso, eyes, and the highest which was the brain. Three clans ruled the sorcerer world in this era; the Zenin clan who asked for the Ten Shadows Technique, cursed by having someone from the head family with minimum or no cursed energy at all, the Kamo clan who asked for a mysterious technique that included the brain and the Gojo clan, who asked for a special set of eyes and was cursed to have the Blessed Child in their bloodline. 

The wailing of an infant broke the agony of the family after her mother, the clan head’s wife died from childbirth. They saw her as a ray of hope in this time of tribulation.

But not for long. 

Age 6, Summer

Having been born earlier than her supposed date of birth, she grew up with a weak body. She had four brothers from a stepmother. Her father remarried soon after her mother’s death. Having been expected to produce more offspring as the head of the clan.

 On a normal day, she would be found watching her brothers play outside with other children while she played board games with her retainer. She was a smart girl but was frail and sickly.

“I want to join too!” she ran towards the children. Her pale complexion and silver hair standing out among the younglings. 

“Okay!” chirped by another kid.

Knowing she couldn’t run as fast as them, she stuck with her younger brother who was one and a half years younger than her. All she knew was that they were having fun but as the emotions overflowed within her while they were playing, an unexpected event happened.

The brother got into a fight with another kid. Quarreling children were often quick to stop if an adult interfered. But at that time, no one was around and tried her best to stop the fight and protect her brother. As someone from the Gojo clan, the brother developed cursed energy at a very young age. And already, the family was considering naming him the next head clan instead of her. But children are children and they have no concern over the system that the adults created.

It was the first time she activated her unique energy and in an attempt to stop him fighting the other kid, canceled all his cursed energy which resulted in a loss of consciousness.

The rest of the family members were shocked. They were trying their best to wake him up but nothing worked. At that time, no one knew exactly what happened except her. Instinctively, she knew what went wrong. Like how you drink the water from a cup, how you use your hands to eat, or how you sit on a chair. It didn’t involve any reasoning. 

The family was starting to suspect that something was wrong. Her behavior changed and turned aloof. She distanced herself from her brothers and anyone with flowing cursed energy. She couldn’t use it, but she could see it, clear as broad daylight. The spirits, the streaming energy, who was the cursed user and whatnot. She could see everything and she hated it.

“I always know it was your fault!” 

Her stepmother smacked her with a stick, leaving an angry red mark on her face. Not quite content, the woman pulled her hair.

“You good for nothing child! There was no reason for you to be born more so to be the heir of this clan!”

 She cowered with tears running down her face.

Days, weeks, and months have passed, it has been a usual activity in the household. The scars and bruises were becoming more and more apparent. 

-xxx-

She’s a monster!

This is the punishment of the heavens!

She has no cursed energy! 

How many did she kill?

A disgrace!

Get rid of her!

Before the other clans know of this!

Silence!

It didn’t take long before the family found out. Once her father returned from a campaign, they revealed that the child could see spirits but couldn’t use cursed energy for some unknown reason. It wasn’t normal, especially from a noble sorcerer clan, for the heir to be born this way. 

She hid behind her father clutching the lower part of his kimono. Her lips quivering from fear that a six-year-old girl shouldn’t be experiencing. 

“That child is your curse! She is bound to kill you!” her uncle yelled from the crowd. That was enough to send her dashing outside with her father calling out her name. From behind, she could hear the eruption of a verbal fight among the adults. She didn’t dare to look back.

“Oi, it’s you again?”

She ran to her safe place, or so she believed. Calming the storm in her heart and mind. The boy, she knew him. It was the third or fourth time she had met him in that same riverbank. He appeared to have been older than her by a year or two. 

“I told you the three clans likes using this type of place as their battleground. Don’t blame me if you got caught in their war. I warned you before,” a hidden concern.

He even asked for her bruises and scars when no one in her family asked before. 

“N-n-no I tripped down the-” the girl refused to be touched and jumped back.

“Quit lying! You’re bad at it. Let them do that all over again and you’ll end up dying. Why don’t you run away?"

“I have nowhere to go,” she confessed with a pout.

She was just a child, after all.

“Cheh,” the boy puts his hands at the back of his head. “You know what, I am hated by life itself too. Not just my family, but by life! I was born from a family of sorcerers but I-” a pause after a second of the doubt to continue. “Nevermind.”

She might have stared at him innocently but she could point exactly to the reason he hesitated. He has no cursed energy despite claiming to come from a family of sorcerers. Unlike normal people who possess a tiny bit of cursed energy, he had zero. Just like her.

“You don’t have it.” she shakes her head.

“HAH?!”

“You don’t have cursed energy.” 

To have someone who was almost in the same situation as her, she finds it safe to be around him. Having zero cursed energy meant she wouldn’t accidentally harm him. Soon, they have forged a friendship. Constantly meeting at the riverbank to play or have an idle chat. The boy liked the fact that she couldn’t judge him unlike his family and the other sorcerers. He didn’t have to compare himself to her because even she was different.

He was strong, she was weak but somehow they are similar. 

She perceived that even though he was born with no cursed energy, his physical prowess was outstanding. Something the boy himself was proud of having.

Age 8, Autumn 

“Welcome home, father!” she lunged to embrace him and she could feel the wary eyes of the rest of the family members gathered behind to greet the head of their clan from a long trip. 

Her father cupped her face lovingly but his smile turned to a frown in an instant.

“What happened to your face?” he asked curiously with furrowed eyebrows. Staring at the bruise near her mouth.

She gaped at him, deliberating whether she should tell him the truth. But her father was too occupied by so many things that involved the clan. She didn’t want to bother him with her troubles. Besides, what good would it bring to reveal that it was her step-mother who always beat her? Her eyes hovered behind her father as the woman responsible for it came over.

“Welcome back, my dear.” she greeted her husband while also side-eyeing her, a quiet warning to keep her mouth shut or a promise of a broken body had she told him what was going on. 

“I tripped….down the mountains…” she lied. 

And she lied and lied again.

-xxx-

She covered her ears from the shouts. The night was deep and cold and long. An argument between that woman and her father. Who the hell cared about being the heiress? Definitely not her. They can have it. I don’t want it. She cried herself to sleep. 

-xxx-

“I don’t want you to leave.” 

She tugged his robe.

“Father, take me with you.”

Her father laughed and asked her what she was talking about. He was adjusting his armor and weapons to prepare for another campaign. “I cannot take you with me, you know that, right? You stay here and study well so that one day you would be wise enough to lead our clan.”

“But I don’t want it,” she shook her head, now with tears forming at the sides of her eyes. Her voice was shaking. “I don’t want to be the clan head. I just want you here with me.” she begged. 

A child needed not any sort of power or authority. She needed a parent.

He knelt and comforted her. “Ah, this again? Look at you,” he wiped her tears with his thumb. “You have the head to lead the clan. Strength is not everything when it comes to leading.” he reasoned, believing in his child’s potential. 

“But I cannot use cursed energy,” she sniffed. “And I am strange,”

“You’re not strange, you’re unique.” 

“I killed him, didn’t I?” she asked softly. “My brother. It was because of this,” she gazed down at her palms and cried. 

He knew he was being selfish, shoving his ideals into his child who was not interested in anything but his love and attention. But he also knew that it was for the better. He couldn’t re-do what was done and there was nothing he could do to run away from their destiny. Aware that his child would one day kill him, he wanted to secure her safety by holding the clan. She was intelligent, a compensation for her weak body. If there was anything he regretted in his life, it was not the pact or to choose death in the hands of his daughter, but letting her continuously suffer from the curse after he was gone. 

“I have to go now.” he stood up before his guilt consumed him. Everything he did was for the glory of their clan. His foot was already in hell by the time he agreed to have that pact. No use in regretting it now. 

Age 8, Summer

“You’re from the Gojo clan right?”

“And you’re from the Zenin.”

The boy sneered at her, amused. “I know you would find it out.” he picked up a rock and threw it on the river. “Well, our clans are bitter rivals.”

“I don’t really care about that,” she answered, hugging her knees staring at the river flow. “I care about ending a curse.”

“Curse?” the boy narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, that thing with your father?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure that’s true? Maybe it’s just another crap from your family. Don’t they hate you?”

She nodded. “It is the reason why they hate me.”

“That’s bullshit.” he spat. “You’re so weak and couldn’t even lift a sword. How on earth are you going to fight the head of the Gojo clan?” he plopped down onto the grass and stared at the sky. The clouds were like cotton balls passing by.

Instead of answering, she looked over to him and returned a question. “Aren’t you worried over your own father? Isn’t he the head of the Zenin clan?

“How did you kno-” he made a strangled sound and sat up. Finding out that he was a Zenin was one thing but finding out that he was the son of the head was another.

“But I doubt you’re from the line that will eventually lead the clan. You have so much time in your hands to talk with me here and you told me your mother..” she paused, thinking if it was okay to continue.

“Why did you stop? I don’t look down on my mother’s job. Yeah, I'm a bastard, if that’s what you wanted to say.” he sighed. “I was picked up by the family to be trained as a guard. I don’t have cursed energy so that’s the least I could do. My father and I...well, we just treat each other like master and servant. There is no special treatment to me in the household but I have to say I'm having a good life there. So far.”

“But you’re so good at fighting,” she said, intrigued. “What a waste to be just a simple guard.”

“Hey! Are you taunting me?”

“Never said it was the only thing you’re good at.”

He stared at her in disbelief. Unable to think that a soft-spoken girl could be this snarky. 

“I cannot believe I befriended you.”

Age 9, Autumn

“What's it like to have a mother?” she asked. Moving her piece forwards. 

“Huh?” he blinked at her then back at the board. They were playing shogi this time. “Eh, how would I answer that? She cook well and clean the house all the time and also worry a lot about me. Sometimes she annoys me but other times I know that she's just taking care of me.”

She hummed, feeling a little jealous but it was the good type of jealousy. 

She waited for his move but it was taking him too long. “Hurry up, I need to go soon! my father is going to depart this afternoon and I have to meet with him before he go."

“Why did you start playing with me if you’re only going to rush me?” he grumbled and put his piece in its designated place. 

She chuckled.

“Checkmate.”

“No way!” he scratched his head wondering how she beat him five in a row without breaking a sweat. 

Other times, he would bring his study materials and she would help him with them. He was amazed how a girl younger than him could understand even the most complicated scrolls. 

Other times, one of them would not come in their spot. She spent her time in their family library, reading, studying, researching anything she would find that could take her amusement. Her stepmother would lash out every time she sees her. Although she hated her, she understood how the woman must feel after losing her son. The beatings were not justifiable not even for a bit. But knowing what the woman was to her father, she also couldn’t bring herself to harm her.

 She already took the life of her mother, no need for her father to lose another wife again.

-xxx-

They wandered pretty far, not that her family would mind because she knew that they would rather have her lost than kill her. 

“There,” the boy pointed out. “That’s the temple I was telling you about. The monks live there. They work hard to cast out evil spirits in the village. Master Genshin is the name of their leader, maybe he can help you.” he swayed his sword, clearing the tall grass on their way. She followed behind, peering in the direction.

“Look!” she jumped. “The temple!”

The boy snapped his head at the sound of horses. A group of bandits came rushing down the hill. 

“Hide!” he pulled her arms down to conceal their presence between the tall grass. Her mouth slammed onto the dirt as he held her head down.

Once the men had dispersed, the boy carefully poked his head to check if it’s safe for them to go. 

“What was that?” she asked, coughing the dirt that entered her mouth. 

“I don’t know.” he stared at the smoke coming from the temple. He had heard from his elders that the Kamo clan was in a feud with the monk Genshin after the old man denied their request for the monks to join forces. Telling the Kamo head that they will remain neutral between the three clans, not granting them the special scrolls they badly wanted.

“That must be them.”

“Who?” she blinked at the burning monastery. “It’s on fire! Let’s call help!” she panicked and ran toward it.

“Are you stupid?! You cannot help them, it’s too dangerous!” he pulled her back to stop her. The fire was enormous, engulfing the building rapidly. Thick, black smoke and hellish flames crawling up the sky.

“But Master Genshin!” she wailed. “I need his help. Who’s going to help me now with that curse?” the monk must have been her last hope to end the Heavenly curse. Something she was thinking of for a long time. The monk was the only person they knew that could give her a hand as an expert in casting off spirits. In addition, she had read a lot of things from numerous scrolls that could finally save her father from the pact. 

However, that speck of hope vanished before her eyes

“You’re crazy,” he mumbled, shooing the smoke still floating in the air after the fire with his arms. The smell of the burnt place getting in the way of his breathing. The temple was located in a remote area and no nearby villages could spot the incident right away. It would take a week before they would be discovered. “Let’s get out of here before the sunset.”

She paced back and forth, looking for the monk’s remains. Scattered charred bones, woods, and dust from something no longer discernible was all over the place. 

“I have to find him.”

“He’s dead! A dead man can’t do anything for you.” the boy argued.

She stopped waltzing when her eyes caught a gold medallion from a corpse. “He’s here,” a part of the monk’s orange robe was left wrapped around his remains. “He was the last one they killed. And his body isn’t as burned like the others.” she knelt to take the corpse.

“How did you know about that? And...woah!” the boy had his eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

“He was the man they wanted and the one who knew this place more than the others. It’s only natural he would be the last one to be killed,” she explained, inspecting the body parts. 

“Huh?” the boy was goggle-eyed. Then realized she has a point. The bandits wanted something and judging from the method they used, they didn’t want people to find out any evidence. It must be the scrolls the Kamo clan were after. They were more likely paid assassins. The Kamo clan wasn’t stupid to dirty their hands on the job. He had heard that people who left or were forced to leave their clans assembled themselves with warriors and criminals to build a group. A group which sorcerer clans hire to do the filthiest jobs one could think of; from simple stealing, assassination, or massacring an entire clan. 

“Cursed energies don't immediately leave the body. I’m taking his remains and use them.”

-xxx-

Age 9, Winter

“Would you feel sad if I’m gone?”

He looked at her quizzically. They were back in the riverbank. The day was cold and the winter air just around the corner.

“If I..could be in a place where I can be me, that would be fun,” she said, faking a smile. 

She had already drafted the base of her plan.

-xxx-

Age 10, Summer

The boy laughs and calls her stupid. “In order for you to use that, you need a spell, right? Both of us do not possess cursed energy, and you are showing me that?” he ridicules, wiping a katana with a cloth, sitting in front of the girl with crossed legs. The day is clear and warm.

“You’re my only friend and I want to show it to you,” she responds softly fumbling the box with her fingers. Because the outer part of the object was made from cursed energy, it would also need cursed energy to be used. The girl may be smart but she was still a child and needed a mentor to fully develop. 

“I have to go now, you should go back home. You might faint again.” he rose and put the katana back to its sheath. The last time they played hide and seek, she fainted because of the summer heat. 

“I-it’s okay, they won’t look for me even if I die…” 

“You say that and yet there’s that look on your face,” he clicked his tongue and turned around but halted. “I haven’t told you before but I took a job as a warrior for another sorcerer clan. Well, one day if I went missing, you know what it means, right?”

She heard from her gossiping family that the Zenin clan took a massive loss recently from a failed campaign. The boy was released from the clan and the financial support was cut off which he and his mother used for a living which forced the boy to look for a job. 

They continued to meet after a while, both of them starting to feel the weight of the world and their personal goals. They both wanted to protect someone, albeit in different terms. 

She didn’t need to ask which group he joined in and she doubted he would answer her truthfully anyway. He was skilled, a vagrant who also looked for a place he would fit into just like her. 

One day, the boy stopped coming, leaving her behind. 

She knew for a fact what the real reason was.

He chose to avoid me. 

-xxx-

Age 12, Autumn

“Again?” she sulked in front of the mansion as her father prepared for a war to come. Garbed with full battle armor from head to toe, weapons carried by his horse.

“I will be back like always.” her father smiled, shuffling her hair.

Her father was the last remaining person close to her since the disappearance of her only friend two years ago. She didn’t want to lose him in a battle yet at the same time, she didn’t want to fulfill her fate. Sometimes she wondered if him being away was his tactic so he could be far from her as possible. 

She was continuously neglected by the rest of the clan. And they relentlessly fought with her father to change his mind about the clan heir. 

Age 13, Winter

She still visited the riverbank as it had become a habit for her every time she felt lonely. And lonely she always was. She stood and watched the freezing river, quietly hoping for her long lost friend to appear so she could talk to him again before she carried out her plan and properly say goodbye.

In her hand is the box, her prison. She had long intended to use it to ultimately avoid her fate. It was the only way she could think of to save her father. She didn't and never will belong to the sorcerer word. Thus built the idea for her to create her own realm.

A futile attempt.

Age 14, Autumn

The tension between the two rivaling clans didn’t fade away. If anything, it only got worse. The Zenin and the Gojo clan heads faced each other in a deathmatch with only the moonlight and the cloudless night sky as their witness aside from their comrades’ corpses. It was a tough one. The most difficult battle he had in his life to the point of nearly losing. With the help of the Six Eyes, the Gojo clan head emerged victorious albeit heavily injured. 

He dragged his bloody, tattered body all the way home only to be confronted by his angry relatives. 

One of his brothers hauled his daughter and threw her in front of him. Tears pouring down her bloody face. Exhaustion and injuries be damned, he demanded a reason;

“What is the meaning of this?!” 

There were shouts and then a louder cry from the girl. 

“Father, I didn’t- I..I only did it because I wanted to-” she crawled on the floor, reaching for him.

Someone tossed a cube-like object and it landed beside his feet. He stared at it warily before picking it up. 

“It was a sealing box!” a relative announced angrily. “That child is planning to seal us all!” 

She got caught. And that was there to it. She had studied the scrolls in their library and researched everything she could to build it. But despite her efforts, she could not use it without cursed energy. Curiosity got to her and asked a retainer if she could help her try it. Unbeknownst to her, someone from the family overheard their conversation and immediately assumed that the girl was planning to use the object against them.

“I have enough of your child already, brother,” her uncle glared down at her. 

“Her energy opposed ours, she is dangerous and doesn’t deserve to be here!”

“We are not having this conversation again!” the Six Eyes user glowered. “Who do you think you are to hurt my child?”

“Brother, can’t you see the truth? This child is your curse! How many lives do our family need to sacrifice for you to open your eyes?”

“I am the head of this clan!” he pressed glaring back at them. “And my word is final. If this is a sealing box, I am sure that my daughter has a reason for creating this. Why jump in the conclusion that she is planning to seal us all? Is it because you’ve done something against her?” he said the last part with suppressed anger. He was not a perfect father and frankly no one was. Being mostly away from his home, he was not always there for her.

“Ridiculous,” a relative spat, getting tired of their clan head's stubbornness. “This is beyond madness! Ever since that child was born, unfortunate events happened!”

“We are not going to just watch this clan plummet because of you!”

“She must die, NOW!”

With incandescent fury, the clan head stared at them in disbelief. Ungrateful fools. He sacrificed so much for this clan - their clan, even himself and his very child, and yet it was still not enough for them to grant a single request to let her live. They asked everything from him and he was only asking for one thing. One thing. 

For countless times, he had chosen the clan over anything. Over and over.

He was beyond exhausted and finally reached his breaking point. The blood in his hands, the blood of his enemies mixed with dirt and a thousand more tears, lives, soul, regret, anger, sorrow - he had enough of it.

Enough of it.

“Father?”

He glanced over her and touched her bloodied face with his fingers covered in carmine, a small smile appearing on his lips.

“On my mark, run and never look back,” he ordered.

The members of the family surrounded them, encircling them with their wrath and intent to kill. The girl looked around with pure horror and shock. This cannot be happening, not when she’s only one step away from her goal. 

“Move aside, brother. This is your last warning. Give us your-”

“I have enough of this pathetic clan.” the Six Eyes user interrupted and clenched his fists. He was severely weakened from the fight with the Zenin and if they all charged against him, it could lead him to his death - no doubt about it. 

“Father!” she cried and hugged his armor, hiding behind him.

“May the spirit of Sugawara forgive us,” the relative spoke and altogether, they struck.

“Run!” the clan head emitted cursed energy and shot one of his relatives to create an opening for his daughter to escape. She stalled, refusing to leave him but he pushed her towards the exit and barked at her with indignation. Realizing she would only get in his way, and with the knowledge that it could be their last time seeing each other, her heart broke but ran as fast as she could to escape.

Battle cries reverberated in the mansion and a sound clashing metals, tearing of flesh and cracking of bones and-

She halted and her heart pounded in her chest, she wanted to turn around. She wanted to know, she wanted to see him.

Big mistake.

A pool of blood with her father’s body and some of his limbs cut off from his body traumatized her, freezing her entirely. She stood there with nothing but dread and regret. 

I was supposed to save you…

With their bloodied swords, her family turned their attention next to her and moved in her direction. She didn’t move, only gazing at the corpse of her father.

But I failed you….

Years of her childhood flashed in her mind until something cracked deep within her and it activated again after eight long years.

The world turned grayscale and she could see their cursed energy flow. How pathetic to call her cursed when they are the ones who act cursed. An accursed clan. 

“You’re not strange, you’re unique.”

A strong wind blows enough to destroy the shoji doors in the room. It left them confused, bewildered, and stunned. Especially when the girl spoke with a mystical voice as it came somewhere else in combination with her own.

“Do you know what it feels like to not be able to curse when the world curses you?” she said full of unparalleled hostility. Everything went black and white swirling around while she was laced by golden fiery energy. She wanted death for them. She desired death for them. 

“What the!”

The members of the family shrieked, feeling the sudden loss of their cursed energy and  choked to their deaths. Their bodies fell with a loud thud. There was no blood but her father’s. And one could never find out what caused the massacre…

In the end, her efforts were all in vain.

In the end, she caused his death.

After returning to herself, and fearing that her other family - no, the other Gojo clan members find her, she decided to flee. 

She ran away, leaving the object back in their home or a place she once called home.

It was never home.  

Age 14, Early Spring

She never stopped running. She was always hiding. Her life was difficult before but it turned way worse ever since the incident a few months ago. After she lost everything. Striving to live in the harsh era when you’re a non-battle type, frail, vagabond, and a girl - to top it all, would be painfully disadvantageous. 

Avoiding every sorcerer and cursed spirits alike had been her life now. She did not have any idea how to fully use her skills because no one in this world could teach her how to. Maybe to call her a lone wolf would be idiotic because she was far from a wolf - she was a sheep who didn’t mean any harm to anyone but her existence alone hurt the sorcerer world and so…

For the most part, she had expected the Gojo clan to one day send an assassin and hunt her down. They couldn’t let her live after everything. Her existence should remain a secret in the sorcerer world or else the other clans would target them until their last member. 

Something was chasing her. Something or someone. In the woods that was all too familiar for her where she found her haven years ago. A place she constantly visited throughout those years except that she didn’t truly visit that area recently due to her constant avoidance from people and anything that reminded her of her past. But her feet brought her there.

For the sake of an unfinished story..

She could sense the cursed energy flow of civilians, sorcerers, cursed entities, which gave her the upper hand to avoid them but this one, this someone, they have nothing.

Leaves crushed beneath her feet, she almost stumbled and lost her balance but she picked herself up and bolted as fast as she could move her body.

“What is this feeling…”

She could not sense any cursed energy but she could sense the danger. And her intuition is telling her this might be the end. 

Her eyes shot up reaching the end of the forest - a riverbank. An open area. Bad idea.

Her movement went rigid, realizing she gave herself a close call. But she was just a girl..inexperienced in battles and the art of war.

She braced herself from the terrible fate that awaited her until her ear caught a whirring sound from behind to the left side of her back. Another hit tossed the strands of her hair and she screwed her eyes shut at the excruciating pain. It happened too fast, and before she knew it, she was gurgling with blood in her mouth and gasping for air.

“Argh!” she collapsed and knelt facing the river. The mesmerizing clear river she always remembered. She took two arrow shots, one on the lower right abdomen and one on the upper left. She stared at the arrows attached to her body and her pouring blood. Her eyes turned heavenwards and silently question it.  

….If I..could be in a place where I can be me, that would be fun…..

Footsteps came over - her killer. He was a young man with battle scars around his arm, carrying a bow and two swords on his back.

…...Would you feel sad if I’m gone?…..

“Give it up.” he spoke and she recognized that voice.

She wobbled as she used her last remaining strength to stand and turn her face at him and the reaction she saw from him brought her happiness. 

It’s been four years.

“Y-You…!” he recognized her too and that was enough for her. “I-It can’t be…” she could see that he changed drastically from being her friend to a dangerous assassin. Steely green eyes and passive expression shifted into that same old utterance that she'd been fond of.

Her bloodied lips formed a smile, relieved to know that he was still alive. This must be the heavens one last punishment for her, the accursed one.

“In the end...I’m happy...that it was you,” she said as she gasped for air one last time and stepped back to drown in the stillness of the river. 

…..I have many enemies now, maybe we should stop seeing each other…..

He stood there in silence and grunted at himself after a while. He stole countless lives ever since he cut ties with her to protect her and yet…

None of it mattered anymore. 

Four years was enough to change someone and he learned from exposure to the brutal reality of war that showing emotions was a weakness, that it could be his downfall.

….You’re my only friend and I want to show it to you…

Maybe if fate wasn’t this cruel, everything turned out differently. 

“Maybe in another life…” not that he has the cursed energy to actually curse her so that they would see each other again. Feeling immense disappointment and regret, he turned around to take his leave and lowered his head. His almost inaudible steps, a forewarning of someone who was trained to be a killing machine. To hunt down anyone may it be a sorcerer or a normal person. 

“Farewell, Sairi...”

Chapter Text

“Satoru has been sealed.” 

That statement alone sent the inhabitants of Tokyo into surefire jeopardy. 

Utahime grips her phone tightly as her mouth tries to say some words she couldn’t catch. She feels a sudden coldness that hits the core, recalling the last time Gojo and her talk. Worse, it wasn’t even a proper talk but an argument.

“Hurry up and get outside. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.” Koharu now says in a calmer voice, fully understanding why Utahime goes silent from the other line.

Without saying another word, Utahime quickly dumped her things inside the luggage, anxiously walking around to see what else she can bring with her. She grabs only the most important things before she rushes outside the apartment, slamming the door shut behind not bothering to lock it. She pushes the elevator button and waits edgily, mind too cloudy to think about anything other than Gojo and the situation.

Once she reaches outside, she instantly spots a familiar car closing in until it hits the brakes. 

“Utahime!” Koharu calls from the open window in the backseat.

Utahime hastily gets inside and Enmei-san steers the wheels creating a quick turnaround and leaves the place.

“What’s going on?” she turns to the woman next to her.

“I have received information from the Jujutsu High that an unknown group cast a curtain in Shibuya. Satoru was called and immediately went there. Two hours later, a student of his was informed by a...strange mechanical thing about the enemies’ plan; to seal Satoru.”

“Curtain?” just like in the Goodwill Event. Certain that the group responsible that time is the same group the sorcerers are dealing with right now. In this kind of situation, the Kyoto students will be ordered to help too. “What is the Gojo clan going to do now? Are we supposed to help?” 

“I ordered my men to assist with the operation. The priority is to retrieve Satoru at all cost, without him, this whole city is doomed and our clan...might fall.” Koharu explains calmly as possible. “This will be a dangerous state for you, Utahime. We don’t know what’s the enemy’s goal and also…” she halts and sighs.

Utahime can feel that there is a weight from the pause. 

“There is a usurper in our clan,” 

“What?” Utahime flinches, her eyes bounce outside the window beside Koharu, and sees the enormous curtain from Shibuya. 

“A few weeks ago, the librarian noticed that some pages of the old manuscript from the family library was missing. The one from Keicho period. There are plenty of old written materials in that library where we store the family history. I didn’t look for anything in there until recently so I asked the librarian if he could re-check the timetable back in the Keicho period since Satoru keeps on telling me about your dreams.”

“Y-yes, I’ve been having these dreams about the first Six Eyes user’s child. I’m sure it was her and Gojo is convinced too.” Utahime replies in a haste. “Is there anything concerning my dreams?” she asks, troubled. 

“I went to check it personally a few days ago, I also told Satoru about it before but I do not want to divulge what the librarian and I found until we’re sure about it.”

“And what is it?” 

“The manuscripts have tampered. Someone altered it.”

“No way!” Utahime gasps. The idea of an ancient manuscript being altered changes everything from a family’s viewpoint.

“I couldn’t believe it myself either. But when I receive the message that Satoru has been sealed, the answer is getting clearer.”

“The usurper, “ she mumbles. “It’s them. Tatsuya.” he’s the only one she could think of that dares to pull such a bold move. After all, he dared corner her in a public, not minding a sorcerer’s creed to stay hidden when dealing with an enemy. Utahime clenches her fists. She wants to go there, to Shibuya, and help the rest of the sorcerers to take him back. But she knows better than to risk not just herself but the other life inside her.

“Can’t… I do something?” the question isn’t meant to escape her lips. It isn’t directed to Koharu either but more to herself. 

Koharu looks at her desperation and sympathizes with her, putting a hand over hers. “We’re going to a safe house until I get a message that it’s safe for us to get outside.”

Utahime looks at her.

“Make no mistake. I won’t let you leave my side until everything is settled. That child remains a threat in the clan and I’ll be the one responsible once something bad happened to you. Because of Satoru.”

The other woman nods, understanding that this isn’t the time to get carried away by apprehension.  If only, if only I can control my cursed energy.. .Utahime sighs and places her palm on her abdomen.  I’m not blaming you, of course.  She smiles tenderly, assuringly, as if the child can hear her through her mind.

They arrived at the safe house after a few hours. It is located in the border of the city and the mountainous region in the east of Tokyo, far enough for them to see the curtain and to sense curse energies in the central. 

The Gojo mansion is located in the western part of Tokyo, also in a remote area which makes her wonder why would the clan let the family library far from anyone’s reach.

“It’s not bad to ask,” Koharu says from beside her as they enter the ancient building. “This place may be frugal on the outside but not on the inside.”

Utahime scans the interior. It appears to look like nothing but another simple Japanese building from the outside, with shoji doors, black marble flooring, and simple architecture. 

“The family library is also here.”

“Huh? But is it okay if we stay here...what if Tatsuya attacks us here?” Utahime expresses doubt. They’ve traveled far enough but if the enemy or suspecting enemies know of their place then what’s the point.

“Tatsuya won’t make a drastic action here,” 

“And yet he stole and forged your family’s manuscripts. I think we should stop underestimating your cousin’s impudence now.”

“Stupidity has no bounds, Utahime. And Tatsuya is not a stupid man. For you to defeat your enemies you should think the same way as them,” the woman did some hand seals and a seventh tile on the floor moved.

“Door, open.” she commands and five more black tiles from the seventh tile move backward ,revealing a secret passage. 

Utahime watches as the passage fully opens. “By same way, then he could have asked someone else to hunt us down.”

“Non-members of the Gojo clan couldn’t pass this entrance. If Tatsuya ordered someone outside the clan to kill us, it would take their whole lives to undo the sealing.” Koharu steps forwards and enters while Utahime and Enmei-san follow behind. She makes a hand seal again and says the words "Door, close." and the passage closed instantly. There’s a narrow spiral staircase going down made from the rock just like the walls. Lanterns hang around the walls illuminating their path. 

“Is that sealing technique exclusive for the clan heads?” Utahime asks, admiring the mysterious lanterns. Warm yellow light radiates her skin.

“Yes,” Koharu responds. “This place was built as ordered by our ancestor, a former clan head. He was fascinated by a lot of things and didn’t want to be bothered by the family so he decided to build it away from the ancestral home.”

“That’s kind of suspicious,” Utahime states. “But maybe he’s just a loner.”

“Eventually, he was kicked out of his station because some members of the family found out that the thing he’s so fascinated about will be a threat to the clan.” 

Utahime pokes her head on the side. “He was..sentenced to death?”

“Oh, not.” they reach the last step and walk on the alleyway. A single door is on the end of it.

“He’s the same person who develops the sealing techniques in the Gojo clan but after they were stripped by their right to carry the family name and left the clan, little by little, the sealing techniques faded from our grasps.”

The woman opens the door revealing a simple but wide room with plenty of other rooms inside. Utahime looks around in awe, it is five times bigger than her apartment. 

“Mom!” Yoshio comes running and hugs his mother. A female servant from behind him appears and bows at them. “Utahime-san! Nice seeing you again!” the boy flashes her a toothy grin.

Utahime smiles at the boy, glad that he is also  here. This hidden, safe place seems to calm her mind. At least we’ll be safe here and so does the child…. But Utahime still thinks about Gojo and the others and hopes that everyone is doing alright.

The female servant wearing a green kimono assists her to her designated bedroom. The servant then proceeds to the lounge and serves snacks and drinks as ordered by Koharu. The older woman sits on the lounging area and talks with her son until it’s time for him to sleep where the boy whines that since he cannot see the night sky from the place, he couldn’t tell if it’s night time already. 

After taking a quick rest since her energy has been pretty low lately, Utahime goes to the living room and finds the boy sleeping on his mother’s lap. 

“He’s been asking about Satoru a lot,” Koharu says. “He’s very fond of him.”

Utahime smiles at the scene, watching as Koharu gently touches Yoshio’s hair. 

“You look tired, how are you feeling?” the woman lifts her head to scan her.

“I feel a bit better but I can’t stop worrying about them,” Utahime says worriedly, thinking about her friends and students. Overthinking may not solve anything at all but she cannot control her thoughts. 

 Her gaze falls to the boy’s sleeping face.

“Koharu, is it hard?”

Koharu looks at her.

“To be a mother.” she continues. She’s a responsible individual and no doubt that she would make a good job raising a child of her own. Still, she has no experience in this department and will need guidance in the future. If she survives the pregnancy, that is.

“Becoming a parent is different from being a mother,” Koharu eyes her son. “You bring them into this world by giving birth to them, carry them around your arms, give them what they want. But that act alone doesn't classify you to be called a mother.”

Utahime’s eyes flicker in her eagerness to listen.

“A mother is someone who does what needs to be done for their child. Someone who nurtures them, and is willing to make sacrifices for them. That is the difference between the two.” she wraps an anime-themed blanket around the boy’s body carefully. “Yoshio’s father died when he was three. He was ambushed by an enemy clan. It was intricately planned. They paid back, of course. In just a snap of our fingers, the Gojo clan's followers obliterated them. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t bring back the life of my husband, and Yoshio was left without a father.”

Utahime’s eyes soften at this. “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Koharu nods somberly and gazes down at her son’s peaceful sleeping face. “Truthfully I have no idea about the father’s duty. On how a father should act around his children or his wife. Our father was...well, he’s far from the ideal father. He’s mostly a stranger to us both even when I was still an only child. He got worse after Satoru was born since our mother died because of his boundless cursed energy.”

She heard about it from Gojo himself before. But hearing this from Koharu’s standpoint pleases her still. She did not expect to have this kind of conversation with the woman. Maybe being mothers unite their feelings in connection to having a family. 

“This is just a personal preference,” Koharu weighs her words before letting them slip and speaks according to what she believes. “But a child needs both parents,” she says.

As a child, Utahime grew up with a simple life with both of her parents and she has no objection to that. They raised her accordingly and taught her to respect her elders and the traditional system above all. In her time as a priestess, she was trained with strict discipline. Her younger years were spent far from what the Gojo siblings had, being raised in an elite family and to be looked up to by society but frankly she prefers her life over theirs. It’s too complicated and she likes it simple. 

It has come to her understanding that what she wants for her child to have is different from what she’s doing. Utahime feels a tug in her chest thinking about this.

“Satoru never met our mother and he was abandoned by our father. I should be concerned about his parenting skills but seeing how he cares about his students, it gives me hope that somehow, he’ll be fine.” the corner of her mouth turns up at this and so did Utahime.

“Satoru speaks highly of you and I can tell you’re a responsible woman.”

“Eh?” Utahime blinks in surprise.  Gojo does…?  The man used to annoy her for being weak and needing people around her as she carries out her technique so hearing his sister, probably the only older person in the world that he would listen to, says that he thinks highly of her, is both alien and music to her ears. 

Koharu flashes her a knowing look, something far from her usual no-nonsense and calm exterior. If Utahime didn’t know any better, she would think that Koharu is teasing her. Her eyes are filled with curiosity that Utahime is so sure that is so rare for the woman to show to anyone. 

Koharu relaxes her arm on the couch’s armrest and asks with keen interest.

“Utahime, what is Satoru to you?”

The world turns upside down again with the monochrome image spiraling around. It’s like he teleports into somewhere else from one place to another. But the difference is he has no power over the shift and Gojo finds himself on a completely separate spot.

Before, he was in this dark, mystical, creepy forest that came straight out of his ugliest nightmare. But now, he’s in a rather pleasant place - not saying that it’s anything better than outside the realm - but now he’s in a warm, summery place. The same river from the girl’s memories is flowing on his left. Gojo turns his head and notices it right away, unsure whether what to feel on that river since it is the carbon copy of the one where she tragically died after she got killed by her only friend. Not that both teenagers knew that they were set up by fate to have a disastrous end.

Gojo senses another presence with him.

“Sairi,” he calls. There is an indescribable sensation when he says her name, making his skin crawl when she looks up to him with the same innocent eyes as before. Gojo Satoru is numb to fear but he is never numb to being shell-shocked especially after learning the truth. He just witnessed everything about this child from her birth to her death. 

“Father, are you mad at me?” she asks with utter sadness in her eyes.

Gojo looks at her with the same gentleness. “I am not,” he says. 

This child, who did nothing wrong, became the ultimate sacrifice of a power-hungry rotten clan who dared change the history in the manuscripts. Gojo learned a lot from Sairi’s memories such as that someone tweaked the details about the first Six Eyes user’s death. The curse may be absolute and that he died because of his daughter, the Blessed Child - it’s a fact. But to actually hide that it was the family members to deliver that death is another thing. And here they are, making a clan rule about not killing a family member. The fucking hypocrites.  He silently fulminates.

“Really?” she tilts her head and he could tell that she's elated by his answer. 

“It was never your fault.” Gojo kneels and smiles. Now that everything is brighter than before, he’s delighted to see her face closely. Her skin is as pale as moonlight, and her dark gray eyes are a common trait for the rest of the Gojo clan except for him. Her long silvery hair is almost identical to his. Utahime is right, her hair is a bit in a darker shade than his. Most of her features are from her father. It amuses him to know if Utahime and his child would look more like him than her. It seems that the curse has something to do with it too and Gojo fully grasps why the clan curse has been placed between the father and the child; because no father in his right mind would wish harm towards his child. Sairi is related to him in a number of peculiar ways; she’s the Blessed Child, his curse as the Six Eyes user. At the same time, she can also be counted as his ancestor, and lastly, she is the incarnation of his child. 

The unfinished version of the Prison Realm remains in his hand and Gojo gives it back to Sairi. If she never finished it...then someone from the clan did. He recalls the time he picked up a book from their family library. He was ten or eleven at that time, he’s not sure. But he remembers learning that the Gojo clan had a member before that was obsessed with sealing techniques but that person was banished from the clan in fear of the other members when it gets out of hand and was stripped of his right to use the Gojo name. That must be him… the family might have hidden the box thinking they could use it against their enemies since the blessed energy is unique and the Gojo clan is crazy about standing out among the rest. An example? Him.

Gojo carefully analyzes the situation and he is certain of three things; one is Sairi’s existence with him in the box was triggered by his presence as the Six Eyes user. Their fates are eternally connected and the remnant of her Blessed Energy that is imbued in the realm causes this manifestation.

Secondly, as the Blessed Child, she is invincible against anything that relates to cursed energy meaning the one who possesses the curse is no one but him. Her mother’s death has something to do with the curse by making the man who possesses the Six Eyes to suffer as part of the punishment. It’s the same logic as negative times positive equals negative which represents the pact, the gift, and the curse. If there is an over-accumulation of anything, like overflowing water inside the dam, it will cause destruction in the surrounding area. Just like when their ancestor asked for extra power, the heavens struck them with a curse.

The last thing he realizes is something that relates to the first one and the hardest thing for him to do.

“Sairi,” Gojo holds her shoulders gently. “I need your help,”

“Help?” she blinks at him.

Time doesn't pass inside the realm but witnessing everything about the girl and knowing that his connection with her soul is possibly the strongest among anyone in the world, it didn't stop him from having deep, genuine affection towards her. Undoubtly so, she equates as his own child.

Gojo pulls her and embraces the Sairi's small body with both arms. Sairi welcomes the act and doesn't flinch from his touch causing Gojo’s guilt to eat him alive. This must be the hardest thing he will do in his entire life and he didn’t expect that something like this will come.

Since her presence in the box is what prevents him from using his cursed energy, trapping him inside the box, putting millions of lives outside in danger together with the people important to him, he has no choice…no matter how much he hated it. No matter how much it destroys him inside.

“...please….” his voice trembles as his chin rests on her shoulder and his cheek pressed against hers. Gojo places his other hand at the back of her head and holds her tight as if someone is going to take her away from him. 

“...disappear.”

He could practically hear his own sobs like the sound of his shattered heart from the grief and guilt of his cruel plea.

Chapter Text

What is...Gojo to me?

One question that requires one answer..

Utahime’s thoughts ramble on and on, contemplating what exactly is Gojo Satoru to her. And by exactly, it means his essence to her life as a whole. Years ago, he’s just an annoying junior who doesn’t know how to respect his elders, bragging about himself constantly on being the strongest. It didn’t get any better as time went by, in fact, that attitude of his remains the same. He’s the same show-off, prideful brat who seems to look for a reaction coming from her every time he tries to strike a conversation. Their bantering and his teasings that she unknowingly miss when he’s not around. She had known him for twelve years or maybe more but never did she evaluate what their real connection is. It’s hard for her to describe it. They know each other, but she doesn’t think that he classifies her as his friend. Friends do catch up from time to time, and they do that, but there’s something in their relationship that isn’t accurate to say that they are friends and just that. It’s bizarre. They’re colleagues but they are more than colleagues and it’s an understatement to say that they’re just colleagues, coworkers, perhaps partners sometimes?

And then it happened.

They had a child together - something that both of them didn’t want to happen -  but it happened  and so they’re brought together in the weirdest, sudden, possible way. Utahime didn’t expect him to take responsibility - hell, she did not even ask him to take responsibility because she knows it’s not something they consent to do. Simply put, it was an accident and yet he stepped forward, and regardless of how surreal the words will be - Gojo stands up and acts like a real man for it. The childish, overpowered, cocky, idiot who teases her for being ‘weak’ and now the father of her child.

“Gojo is….”

She finds him hard to fathom. His personality aggravates her. His denseness and inability to read someone’s feelings - her feelings to be precise, annoys her to no end. Yet it’s hard for her to truly dislike him and ignore the budding feelings growing inside. Or was it always there? Something that she didn’t realize for a long time until this very moment? Or until this very moment?

He irritates her yet she find it hard to live without him now..

…..my heart calls out for him….

Utahime accepts the truth, giving in to her feelings once and for all. It’s just her and her beating heart and suddenly everything makes sense. 

Koharu’s full attention is on her when the woman’s phone rings. She takes the call. It is the librarian asking for her to come to the library after finding out information that will greatly help the situation. 

“The librarian said he’s deciphering something. Do you want to come with me?” 

Utahime nods. She wants to help and it is the only thing she can do right now.

They return to the ground level where the library is. A heavy, black double door with the crest of the Gojo clan carved at the center standing at least nine meters tall and three meters wide greets them. Koharu pushes it with ease showing a massive library with several racks stacked with books. The smell of books and the faint scent coming from the solitary blue and violet flowers near the windows is in the air. Utahime isn’t familiar with plants but she can tell that those flowers are unique and special.

“What did you find?”

“It’s the timeline, my lady. It says here that the child of the Six Eyes user in Keicho died on the same day when he died.” the librarian, an old man in his 60s, wearing black kimono, hunches in front of a rectangular wooden table pointing at an old scripture. Koharu scoots to see it clearly and uses a magnifying glass to decipher it while Utahime peeks beside her.

“There is a discrepancy on this part,” he points at the scripture. “And this one,” and takes another scroll pointing out the kanjis. “This one says that the child escapes and never seen again,”

“What?” Utahime reacts, looking at Koharu. “Does this mean there have been inaccuracies even before? But why are we finding it just now?” 

Koharu puts a hand over her chin. 

“It’s him. He put in purpose,” she says.

“Tatsuya?” Utahime frowns. “He wants to make a diversion and confuses the hell out of us all.”

Koharu takes the newfound scroll from the librarian and inspects it. The paper dates back in centuries, no doubt, but the printing is too vague to be completely understood. Some kanjis cannot be read and they also need to confirm if the ink is legitimately old as well.

“We can ask a firm to carbon date this.” the man suggests.

“No,” Koharu shakes her head. “It might be a trap that might lead us to waste our time. How many additional scrolls did you find?”

“There are twenty-four of them, my lady.” he replies. It took him an incredible amount of time to separate the suspiciously fakes and not.

“Could it be a cursed technique that forges documents?” Utahime considers, gaining the other two’s attention. “Just a wild guess. Mister here knows the contents of this library but he wouldn’t know what’s true or not in all those years. Looking at these scriptures with the naked eye won’t bring us any answer. Koharu, you said to defeat your opponent, you must think like them. And I think Tatsuya won’t do it without an assurance that we will believe the fake’s contents.”

The woman smirks, thinking about the time Satoru said he entrusted an important task to Utahime prior to her pregnancy. Reason for him to ask his students to deal with a mole in Kyoto. So this is why… Koharu glances at her. She’s clever, no wonder Satoru trusts her skills. 

“This is not something a seal can undo if these are really forged documents through cursed technique. We need more information to confirm this.” Koharu takes another scroll and decrypts it. 

“Yes, my lady,” the librarian moves the other books and puts the ‘fake ones’ to another table. 

Utahime is about to help them when the corner of her eyes catches a figure on her left. She turns her head and slowly moves away while Koharu and the librarian bury their noses on the books and scrolls. 

Behind the corner most rack is a lone, small oval table with rough sides which clearly belongs in the past. 

“It’s….”

Utahime scratches her eyes as the hallucination of the girl with her back facing her appears, standing in front of the table, and is trying to reach for something from the bookshelf, tip toeing until she hits a scroll alongside hundreds of other scrolls. Utahime had too many dreams and phantasms about the girl that it doesn’t surprise her anymore. Now it just levels to her daily encounter.

The girl disappears and a white scroll without a label, smaller than the standard ones, drops on the carpet soundlessly. Utahime picks it up and its paper is so thin and delicate that she had to carefully unroll it.

“This is familiar…”

Inside the scroll is a simple diagram that resembles a box. Utahime’s eyes go round remembering the cube that the girl in her dreams was holding.

“Koharu!” feeling that it is somehow connected, she hurriedly goes to Koharu to disclose it. “Look at this, is this familiar to you?” Utahime spreads out the scroll on the table after clearing it out from a few books. Koharu scans the diagram with unreadable contents, either too blurred or it is written in words that are no longer being used in modern times. 

“This is the layout of the Prison Realm, a special grade sealing box that once belonged to our family.” Koharu glances at her. “It was taken by our ancestor who built this place when he left the clan.”

Utahime looks at the contents despite not understanding anything from it. “The..child in my dreams, she was holding this. I know it’s the same! She…”

Koharu narrows her eyes at her. “She showed this to you?” 

“Just now.” Utahime answers.

The older woman paces around with folded arms while thinking. What is the connection between the child and the box when the box was made years after her death? 

“Koharu, if this is a sealing box and the girl wants us to see it, then maybe it’s the same sealing box that Gojo is in?” Utahime voices out.

“Point taken,” Koharu gives her a firm nod. “But something is bugging me, the timeline does not match.” she shakes her head. “Forget the timeline, we need someone who can unseal it.” retrieving the prison realm from the enemy is the first step but the final step and the most critical one is how to actually unseal the box.

“Can’t you do it?”

“I can’t,” Koharu exhales deeply. “That’s a special grade object. It’s not the same with sealing scrolls where you can easily dispel the seal with a little bit of cursed energy.” she walks around and Utahime watches her, getting tensed herself. “The only one who can unseal it is the enemy who sealed Satoru inside and…”

Utahime’s eyebrow twitches. “And?”

No way..is this some kind of a freakish coincidence? 

Koharu swiftly takes out her phone. “A descendant of the maker of the prison realm!” she frantically dials a number on her phone and talks with a secretary. Utahime observes her while glancing back at the diagram and she hears her cuss and barks orders suddenly. Both she and the librarian flinches at the indignation.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! He’s not going by commercial airline. WHAT?!”

Utahime is startled.  She has moments like this too for sure but Koharu looks so calm and collected that she didn't expect her to be this heated when angry. The woman’s bossy persona emerges like a monster from the depths of the ocean. It’s what Gojo himself talked about. Looks like he wasn't exaggerating when he said most women he knows are scary.

“It will take five hours?! Do it in TWO! I don’t care if I have to buy another plane. Go buy the latest and fastest model you can find in the market….Yes. Do it. Two hours, if you get past it you’re fired. Absolutely. Now go.” she removes the phone from her ear and ends the call. Another round of sigh escapes her lips.

“Descendant of the one who built this place and the prison realm.” Utahime repeats her words cautiously. She’s a bit surprised that they still have a connection from a banished member of the clan. The Gojo family seems to be purists by nature.

Koharu dials another number as she answers Utahime coolly;

“Yes, they carry the name Okkotsu now.”

Gojo perceives that there are two layers of the realm. One from the inside which contains Sairi’s blessed energy that imprisons the captive and stops their cursed energy flow and another from the outside which is made from the cursed energy of the monk Genshin. The outer layer will be a problem even after Sairi - or the remnant of the blessed energy disappears inside because it is activated by cursed energy from the outside. He is not an expert when it comes to sealing techniques, it’s an ancient form of cursed techniques that requires distraction and assistance - definitely not his forte, but Gojo has an understanding that it is more complicated than it sounds. 

It needs to be unsealed from the outside too and to do that, he needs to ask for help from the outer world. 

“There are people outside that need my help,” he explains calmly. “And your presence as the one who created this realm locks me here. Sairi, I...have no idea if you can understand what I am saying but you are the only one who can help me. I need to save your mother, the curse is still going and she - Utahime, I need to save her. Please” 

Sairi gazes at him inquisitively, the lack of malice from her expression might forever haunt him. The girl lived her whole life as a manifestation of a curse, a sacrifice, and a payment and he of all people knew what she had been through. But now he’s asking the same thing from her, to be a sacrifice once again so that he can save the rest.

“Please…”

Gojo wants to punch himself so badly at this point as the guilt creeps in.  I am no different from you . He says at the back of his mind thinking about the first Six Eyes user. This must be what it feels like to be a shitty father, asking your daughter to give her life for you. A parent should be the one sacrificing for their children and not the other way around. It is the duty of the  elders. It is what he keeps rambling on and on, what keeps him going because he wants to change the system all those years and yet….

He once thought he’s above all, that he’s the honored one.

What an absolute bullcrap!  He curses himself, still holding the young girl’s arms, head down and literally begging her. The strongest sorcerer now at the mercy of a child. Desperation clear on his face.

Gojo thinks that maybe Utahime was right, that in the end, he's just a prick who uses people. He wants his students to get stronger for them to help him change the system. Change the fucking system. And yet here he is, trapped, cannot even save Utahime and himself from the curse without sacrificing someone.

“I no longer belong in the outer world,” Sairi speaks.

Gojo raises his head to look at her in wonder.

She raises a hand to touch his face, wiping the tears that he didn’t know were falling. He’s too focused on his emotions that he fails to notice his tears. Something that never happened before.

So this is what it feels like…

“Everything will be fine, father,” Sairi says with a second voice behind her own and as she holds his hand, a metallic fiery gold aura engulfs them. 

Once they’re back in the basement, Utahime stays in the lounge while anxiously hearing and watching Koharu walk around with her phone on her ear, sending out orders to her men in Shibuya. Nishimiya informs her through a text message that the Kyoto students have arrived in Tokyo now. She trusts her students' skills but they will still need someone who will guide them. Miwa later told her that Nanami or Kusakabe will lead them. Utahime hopes it will be Nanami because Kusakabe, despite being skilled, is a bit of a coward and has no real passion for his job. At least Nanami is known as a responsible man that even Gojo keeps on saying that he’s much more reliable than any of the teachers. 

Okkotsu Yuuta. She knows him as the cursed child that single-handedly defeated the Kyoto students last year in the Goodwill Event. Gojo mentioned the boy before but he didn’t mention the two of them being related. Perhaps during that time, Gojo didn’t know their relationship.

...Utahime…!

Utahime’s eye twitches and she looks around, thinking she has heard Gojo’s voice. But that’s impossible. 

“Utahime!” the voice grows clearer and louder and Utahime jolts in surprise.

“Gojo?!” she turns her head in every direction like she’s losing her mind. 

Koharu overhears her and pauses to check. 

“We don’t have much time but listen to me,” Gojo or the voice tells.

Utahime realizes that they are talking telepathically.

“H-How is this possible?!” she asks with sterling confusion. She can hear him crystal clear but it’s maddening how she cannot see him.

“It’s through our child’s energy, Utahime.” he smiles, sounding at ease. “Oh, but are you alright? You’re with my sister?” Gojo asks with apparent concern.

“I..I am!” she confirms. Koharu stares at her seemingly understanding what is happening and listens. “What do you mean through the child?”

“I’ll explain everything when I get out of here,” Gojo says. Feeling a bit better to know that Utahime is with Koharu. He knows she won’t let any harm go to her.

They are connected through the soul of the child in Utahime’s womb and Sairi - the energy endowed in the prison realm. Ultimately, a child brings their parents together. A bridge that fills the gap, no matter how complex it is.

“Utahime, I need someone who can hit the cursed object from the outside but to unseal it, they need to be in sync with me,” he explains.

“I don’t think that alone will work,” Utahime glances at Koharu. “We’re currently taking refuge underground your family library and we’ve found out that the only one who can dispel the seal is the enemy that sealed you there or the descendant of its maker, the one who built this place,”

Gojo makes a thoughtful sound. Just as he suspects, someone from their clan finished the sealing box since it was left by Sairi when she escaped from her family. Before Utahime reveals who could help him, Gojo smirks. 

“It’s Yuuta-kun then,” he mutters and stifles a laugh. When he sent Ijichi to investigate Yuuta's descendants, that’s when he discovered his connection with Sugawara no Michizane through a former head who happened to be cast out of the clan because of his curiosity to develop some risky cursed object. The object was long gone from the family’s hands since the man took it when he left. Hundreds of years later, the box was transferred from one owner to another. That explains how now it’s in the hands of their enemies. Yuuta’s lineage bears the family name “Okkotsu” since the banishment. Thanks to that knowledge, it became easier for him to trace Yuuta’s ancestry. Gojo has the impression that the former head copied Sairi's methods, just like how Yuuta copies cursed techniques. 

“He’s on his way to Shibuya and will arrive in roughly two hours. Koharu arranged his flight.” Utahime informs him. “Gojo, I have to be there too, I am the only one who can communicate with you. I have to assist Okkotsu-kun to unseal it.” 

Gojo thinks for a moment before deciding. It’s going to be too dangerous for Utahime but now that fate seems to be on their side, through Sairi and Yuuta - one was known as the Blessed Child while one was known as the Cursed Child - they have to take the risks. 

“I will be fine, I promise.” Utahime assures, knowing exactly what he’s thinking. Strange how she came to know how he thinks at this time when in the past she cannot understand him. 

“Stay with the others closely and once Yuuta-kun arrives, tell me when.” Gojo says, a bit hesitant of course, fully knowing her condition. “Utahime,”

“Yes?”

“I promise, I’ll free you from the curse.”

Utahime’s face lights up and she feels something warm in her chest. The way he said it makes her feel a different kind of safety.

“And I’ll protect everyone. Because that’s what the strongest must do.” 

“I trust you.” she says with a sad smile. 

“Trust our child too,” he replies and pats Sairi’s head. “Because she’s ours…”

Utahime cannot quite understand the meaning behind it but one thing she knows, this isn’t the time to waste time. She rises from her seat and explains everything to Koharu. The woman quickly comprehends and assists her to get outside after calling Enmei-san.

“It will take two hours if we took the shortest route,” the driver says as the three of them bolts upstairs. 

“Okkotsu-kun should be there by that time,” Utahime glances at Koharu, and the woman nods. 

Once they’re outside the building, Koharu raises her arm to stop the two from moving after sensing a menace.

 Utahime looks at her questioningly. 

“Enmei-san, please take Utahime to Shibuya as safely as possible.” Koharu orders, scowling at the incoming presence coming out from the shadows.

A human-looking cursed spirit with a patchwork face steps forwards and smiles at them wickedly.

“My, my, you’re making it difficult for me to kill you, Gojo Satoru’s woman~”

Chapter Text

“Go, Utahime.”

“But Koharu—”

“You need to save Satoru,”

A lump forms in Utahime’s throat anticipating a battle between the two. She hasn’t personally faced the patch-faced cursed spirit before but she heard from Nanami back in Goodwill Event about the danger that is called Mahito. If it took a grade 1 sorcerer and Sukuna’s vessel to deal with him and failed in exorcising him, then she knows better than to leave Koharu fighting alone.

“I can’t leave you here! He’s way too dangerous!”

Koharu gives the enemy a death glare that would have killed him if looks could kill.

“We don’t have the luxury to waste time, Utahime. You have to go. NOW.” she stresses and comes forward to block any movements from the cursed spirit.

Mahito’s sinister smile cracks from the corner of his lips. “What an honor to face the Gojo clan’s head. But I do not want to disappoint Geto and that shady guy so I have to kill that woman and the child first. We can battle after that if you want~” he winks.

Utahime curls her fists into balls, torn between staying and leaving. With her unstable cursed energy flow, she will only drag Koharu down but at the same time, it feels so wrong to leave her.

“Sorry ladies but I ain't the type of guy who’s willing to wait,” like lightning, Mahito changes the shape of his arm into a sharp weapon and sprints at them while laughing with excessive enthusiasm.

“Just go!” 

The driver pulls Utahime away before she could resist.

“Koharu!”

“Save Satoru!”  I’m not going to die here, I have a child waiting for me, you know . Koharu channels her cursed energy and summons two tessen from her sleeves. Her red, flowery kimono flowing in the air. Mahito’s weapon-like arm clashes with the war fans as she flips it in defensive mode.

“Ooh, not bad,” Mahito mocks and swings his arm now like jellies - transforming into a whip. 

The two face each other and exchange attacks as Utahime is being dragged away by Enmei-san. She takes one last look over her shoulder to see Koharu and hears the cursed spirit whining about her escape. 

“Please be safe, Koharu!”

When they’re inside the vehicle, Enmei-san starts the car and like an arrow from a bow,heads to Shibuya. Utahime reaches for her phone that is vibrating nonstop since who knows when. Six missed calls from Shoko and three missed calls from Nishimiya. Another seven messages from either both of them or someone else.

She first returns a call to Nishimiya and asks for their location, telling them that she will be there in two hours. Utahime next calls Shoko and informs her of the situation. Shoko is skeptical at first, concerned about her  but reminds her to stay with the rest and be extra careful. Knowing the likelihood of threat against Utahime, Shoko promptly notifies Yaga and by golly, the man is too preoccupied and puzzled by the whole fiasco, asking why Utahime is the only one who can converse with Satoru from that cursed object.

“She’s with his child.” Shoko let it slip, earning a strangled noise from the principal. “Their energies are somehow connected. Utahime doesn’t know how but it was the explanation from Gojo.” she adds. Now the man heaves a mighty sigh, still not understanding a damn thing but immediately sends out an order to those who can freely do to protect Utahime. 

Yaga stares into the void after a while, digesting the revelation that Satoru, of all men, is going to be a father. Was he that dense or blind to not notice the attraction between the two? They do argue a lot and he seems to be crushing on her but it is Satoru and that guy is rarely serious about anything that does not concern a long-term goal.

“GODDAMN!” principal Yaga yells from the second floor of the establishment they’re currently using. Who would have thought that that boy would one day build a family? With a woman he bullies in every chance he gets, at that.

Prison Realm

When Gojo Satoru was born, the balance of the world altered.

“You’re protecting her?” 

But when the Blessed Child exists in her mother’s womb, that alteration would return to normal.

“Mhm!” Sairi bobs her head with a gleeful, tight-lipped smile. 

In her past life, the family feared her enough to prevent her from learning anything that involves a sorcery fight. Besides, she was also born with a weak body. It resulted in an uncontrollable flow of blessed energy in a fit of rage when her father died. Gojo believes that if the family saw her differently, it might have changed the course of her fate. 

Her energy opposed Utahime’s, canceling most of her cursed energy which weakened her. He fears that if this continues, Sairi’s energy might completely nullify it together with her mother’s life force.

“Your mother is getting weaker because of your energy. Do you have a way to reduce it?”

The stillness of the place and their proximity makes it easier for him to observe even her subtle movements. Like when he makes a humming sound when she ponders or when she puts her tiny clasped fist on her cheek when she looks flustered. In a short amount of time, Gojo has grown fond of the girl. 

“I...am trying,” she bows her head sadly.

Gojo makes a panic sound thinking he might have worded it badly. He then gently pats her head. “I know you’re trying and you’re doing good!” he grins. Utahime is not from the Gojo clan and she’s only getting half of the curse. She has more chances of surviving if they succeeded in helping Sairi to control her blessed energy. 

 Having to live a life of a shunned being, she has no one to encourage her to cultivate her talents. And from here, Gojo wants to support her by letting her know;

“Sairi, you don’t need validation to know your worth,”

The girl looks at him intently. Curious gaze shining through her eyes. 

“Nothing is wrong with being unique, or strange. Be anyone you want. It only gets wrong when you don’t embrace it.” after all, no one in this world is sure of what is right or wrong. What matters to people is their point of view. Color of the world be damned, it always has been black and white. And in Gojo’s point of view, she is not his curse, she is his blessing.

Gojo isn’t the ideal one to preach a child - a six-year old child. The Sairi he is with is but a small portion of the true Sairi’s energy and she is long dead. But this is his one in a million chance to give his words to her before he finally unleashes her. 

“You did nothing wrong.” Gojo smiles at her kindly.

The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears that flowed through her delicate cheeks. Gojo holds her closer, understanding that this is the first time someone encouraged her to be herself and not reject the idea of her. Children want to be accepted for who they are and they need a word of affirmation and direction in order to grow. Something that Sairi never received in her lifetime. 

“No matter what path you choose, as long as it’s for your good, your mother and I will support you.” Gojo says his oath quietly, wholeheartedly.

...and this is the last time…

Sairi’s tears continue to fall as she stares at him, filled with emotions.

….that you are going to be a sacrifice….

Shibuya 

Enmei-san eases the car near Shibuya station premises. Known as one of the busiest wards in Tokyo, it is now silent and empty as a cemetery with no humans to be found. 

“I’ll be on standby, Iori-san,” 

Utahime nods and gets outside, shutting the car’s door and rushing to meet the Kyoto students near the exit. 

“Utahime-sensei!” the teens greets in unison. Miwa, Mai, and Nishimiya are the first ones to run towards her. 

“Everyone,” Utahime gives them a quick scan and the students wait for her direction. “We are going to retrieve Gojo Satoru from the sealing box. To do that, I will need your protection.”

Now that is a given. The students glance at each other with an understanding. They will need to buy time for their sensei before she could activate her techniques.

But the next words Utahime says confounds them.

“Okkotsu-kun has been summoned by the higher-ups to help. Our priority is to weaken the enemies and hold them down until he arrives.”

“HUH?” a collective confusion came from the students as expected. 

“Wait, isn’t he out of the country?” Kamo asks.

From their right, two figures appear.

“Everyone!” Panda is with Kusakabe, running to them. “Is it true? Yuuta is going to come?” 

“He is,” Utahime replies. “We have to stop the enemy as much as we can until he comes.”

The students whisper and mutters incoherent discussion from her back.

Altogether, they advance to look for the fake Geto Suguru, scurrying the place for almost fifteen minutes before they sensed strong cursed energies from one area.

“They’re there!” Nishimiya who is carried by her broom went for a quick trip to survey the nearby spots and returned in a shot.

“Who did you find?” Todo asks while running at full speed.

“Itadori and Nanami-sensei are battling against a long-haired guy and another guy!”

Just then, Todo sprints at the site, leaving everyone behind. Nishimiya follows him as the others follow forth.

“Utahime-sensei,” Mai moves closer to the woman. “What happened?” her tone is somewhere between wondering and worrying. 

Utahime avoids looking at her and sighs, wanting to deny the obvious.

“I can barely feel your cursed energy and where have you been all this time? Sensei, you’re hiding something from us,” Mai says.

“I’m sorry, Mai,” Utahime eyes are fixed on the road. “I’ll tell you everything once this is over.” she calmly states.

Piles of rubble in the wake of the battle faced them when they reached the scene. Itadori Yuuji is bloodied and covered with dirt, squatting beside an injured Nanami. Another person who they don’t know is also standing next to Itadori. 

Utahime instantly recognizes Geto Suguru - or the fake Geto Suguru as well as the person from the other side. 

“Tatsuya!” she seethes. 

Tatsuya shifts his attention to her and greets her with a scowl.

“Her presence here only means that your friend failed in finishing her off,” he sneers mockingly at Geto and the other man shakes his head. 

“I’m sure Mahito has a reason,” Geto says.

Behind him, Jogo is watching. It has been fun to observe the fight between Sukuna’s vessel, the blond sorcerer, Geto, and the other Gojo. Something happened to Choso and turned his back at them. It must have something to do with the boy’s techniques or Sukuna but neither Geto and he cares about it.

“And now I’ve been exposed,” Tatsuya grunts. “That means I have to deal with her personally.”

“What’s going on?” Nishimiya stares at Utahime. “What do they want from you sensei?”

The other students asked the same. 

“Focus on our goal,” Utahime grits her teeth and glares at their enemies. 

Meanwhile, Todo rushes to defend Yuuji and has a short argument with the guy named Choso about who to protect his ‘brother’. 

Everyone’s bafflement skyrockets.

“This is a weird situation but are you two brothers?” Panda inquires, stepping next to Yuuji and Nanami. 

“Hell no! He tried to kill me earlier.” Yuuji spits.

Nanami stands grasping his bleeding arm that was broken by Geto himself. “We need to take the prison realm from that guy.”

“Either that or work them out until he’s here.” Utahime says from the back. Nanami and Yuuji look at her.

“Utahime-sensei!” Yuuji stirs from his spot and gets worried knowing how she almost fainted when they were together. “Are you alright? Is it okay for you to be here?”

The question creates another heap of mystery in the students' minds. 

“I am fine, Itadori-kun,” Utahime answers, still eyeing Geto.  The box . She narrows her vision and tries to view the prison realm from where she stands. 

“I’m sorry, but who is ‘ he’ ?” Nanami wants to be enlightened. 

“The higher-ups have summoned Yuuta and he’s on his way here.” Panda clarifies. “Satoru has been sealed, after all, it’s only logical to call him back.”

“Who?” Yuuji chirps, looking at anyone who might answer him.

“Can we just proceed to the plans already?”  Ahh, I want to go home . Kusakabe butts in, uninterested in the discussion. 

“That’s what we should be doing, now everyone, listen to what I am going to say,” Utahime whispers what they must do and that they have to do it all together as a team or else, their efforts will be in vain. Yuuji listens carefully and Nanami expresses doubt but soon accepts the idea. The students gaze at each other, mentally battling whether they are hearing their sensei right or it’s just a figure of their imagination. 

Did she say she can communicate with Gojo from the box?

“Be careful.” 

Soon, Miwa and Kusakabe charge at their enemies with their katanas. Utahime warned them about Tatsuya’s techniques so they maintained a careful distance away from him right after the attack. Todo and Kamo are the next to strike with their cursed techniques while Nanami and Yuuji stay behind to replenish their stamina.

Nishimiya and Mai shoot Geto with their techniques but Geto dodges it quickly with his bare hand. 

Utahime looks at the time on her phone. It’s been two and a half hours since she left the safehouse. By this time, Okkotsu Yuuta has finally landed in Tokyo.

“But who is that man?” she asks no one in particular. “Why is he using Geto’s body?” earlier, she and Shoko has filled each other information and Utahime was in a daze learning that it is a fake Geto who sealed Gojo. She can only wonder how he felt about that knowing it's the body of his best friend.

“He’s Noritoshi Kamo!” Choso glowers overhearing them while watching the fight, staying near Yuuji because of his new found obsession with the kid.

Utahime stiffens realizing who it is. She has studied about it before. 

“The blot on the Kamo clan! Then that means what’s inside Geto is over 150 years old!” 

As the fight ensues, a deep, massive crater cracks open breaking the ground in multiple holes. Geto breaks Miwa’s sword using his hand as Kusakabe and Panda deal with Tatsuya. 

“Miwa!” Utahime dashes forward, reacting in instincts, forgetting her wavering cursed energy flow and weakened condition, unable to sense the incoming attack from the air. 

Yuuji budges but his body is too exhausted to make it on time. That cursed energy is all too familiar for him to ignore.

Shit!

In a haste, Utahime locks eyes with Mahito. Her heart lurches on her throat with the feeling of dread and realization;  What is he doing here...why is he here? Does this mean….?

“Utahime-sensei!” Yuuji calls out but Mahito is already on his way to pierce her heart.

 Yuuji swears at himself. He won’t make it. There’s nothing he can do.  Gojo-sensei, I’m sorry!  Together with him, Nanami tries his hardest to move as well but his injuries put him to a halt.

Yuuji's rage quickens his blood as he screams in frustration.

But a katana repels Mahito’s attack, it swings, creating thin silver lights, slicing it in multiple pieces skillfully. It is so fast that the cursed spirit hasn’t time to react.

Mahito’s eyes widened in shock.  How could a mere sword…?

Black hair and piercing dark blue eyes. White uniform unique only for him. 

“Sorry for the wait,” Okkotsu Yuuta speaks, wielding the katana with one hand and lands in front of the woman.

Mahito’s disfigured limbs bounce on the ground.

“Okkotsu-kun!” 

The boy’s immeasurable cursed energy flails around him like a separate existence that watches over him.

“What’s the situation?” he asks with urgency without looking over his shoulder, attention pins at the regenerating limbs of Mahito as the cursed spirit backs away.

Utahime glances at Geto. Thankfully, Kamo, Mai, and Nishimiya made it in time to save Miwa from death. “That fake Geto Suguru has Gojo!” she points out.

With an amused laugh, Geto opens his arms wide. “Okkotsu Yuuta! I didn’t expect to see you around.”

Yuuta gives him a blank stare. He can see how the man’s appearance is Geto Suguru but there’s just no way that this man is the same man he defeated one year ago.

“I almost killed you before,”

“It wasn’t me.” Geto - the man inside Geto replies. “And you know that.”

“Okkotsu-kun, you need to be in sync with Gojo from the inside to undo the sealing. I will prompt you when it’s time.” Utahime says.

The teen looks at her and nods slightly. He has been briefed about the situation  by the higher-ups before he could even reach the airport until Koharu took the initiative and tell him Gojo's state. As the influential clan head and his distant relative, Yuuta’s travel was prioritized and arranged instantaneously by the Gojo family. If not for them, he would not arrive on time.

“Yuuta!” Panda waves from afar as he and the others transfer to a safer ground far from the crater.

Yuuta beams at him kindly and turns to the people near him. “I will need assistance to distract the enemies,” his gaze falls to Yuuji.  What is this I’m sensing from him?

“Uh,” Yuuji stands. “Can you give me a full minute? My body is still regenerating its energy.”

“No problem,” Yuuta responds. “I just hope we’re in a different situation so we could have much better pleasantries. Okkotsu Yuuta,” he introduces himself.

“Ah!” Yuuji’s grins. “Itadori Yuuji. Nice meeting you, senpai.” 

“Hey! What are you talking about with my brother?” Choso gets in the middle of them which irritates Yuuji. He’s sure that the guy was several meters away from them before. 

“Stop with this brother thing already, I look nothing like you.” Yuuji complains. Yuuta’s eyes bounce at them questioningly and think that the pink-haired student is right.

“Alright, Itadori, this is going to be our strategy.” Yuuta together with Utahime and Yuuji plans out their course of action. Nanami scratches his head, getting annoyed at Choso’s whining while he tries to stop the bleeding from his injury.

“The plan is...not to defeat the enemy, but to take Gojo-sensei back,” Yuuta dictates.

“B-But..so many people have died—”

“Itadori-kun,” Utahime takes his attention. “We are going to make a move against the enemy once the prison realm is unsealed. We don’t know the goal of the fake Geto or Noritoshi Kamo so we have to deal with them cautiously.”

Yuuji thinks about it and slowly agrees.

“Also,” Yuuta glances at their enemies. “I guess we have to deal with the other two as well.”

“The patch faced is mine,” Yuuji cracks his fists. He’s sure as hell he’s not going to receive any help from Sukuna even though he died fighting but he doesn’t mind. He has to avenge Junpei right here. “Nanamin, stay there with Utahime-sensei. I’ll deal with him.” Yuuji raises his thumb and grins at the man who taught him so many things. Nanami worries briefly whether the kid is in a good shape to still fight but trusts that the King of Curses may not try to interfere but surely he won’t let Yuuji die 

From the other side, Tatsuya just receives a call and curses under his breath. The students keep on attacking the three but ultimately fall one by one. 

“Itadori!”

“Yes, I’m ready!” 

Yuuji and Yuuta charge forwards side by side. 

“He’s so fast!”  Yuuji notices the absurd momentum of Yuuta’s movement and before he knows it, Yuuta is already trading blows with Geto and Tatsuya, keeping up his pace against two strong opponents. Yuuji then pounces on Mahito and has their own battle. 

The earth beneath them shakes and the nearby area starts collapsing. Tatsuya uses his cursed technique aiming to hit Yuuta and make him kill everyone but Yuuta quickly blocks it with his speed.

“This boy….just who is he?”

Geto laughs in amusement enjoying his dance with the death as Yuuta propels his katana at him. Tatsuya appears behind the teen and casts a black fire-like energy ball.

“Okkotsu-kun!” Utahime shouts from her spot. “DO IT!”

Yuuta glares behind him and uses teleportation technique, one that resembles Gojo Satoru's, shifting behind Geto which stunned both enemies.

The ball of energy that Tatsuya shoots for him goes directly at Geto, taking the man’s attention for half a second. Yuuta uses this short amount of time and points his finger at Geto and blasts him with his cursed energy. 

Everyone is stupefied at the impact of his strength distracting even Mahito and Yuuji's brawl.

“You’re not thinking that would kill me or that scratch would break this?” Geto appears from the smoke of dust and other broken fragments from the ground, unscathed, holding out the Prison Realm. “I know you’re after this, all of you.”

Holding the sword in his side, Yuuta looks at the box attentively. 

“This special grade object cannot be broken from the outside.” Geto’s lips turn upwards in a taunt.

“Not when we destroy it from the inside too.” the boy mutters.

Just then, a blue and red light cracks the seal, and its brilliance takes their attention. A scene almost ethereal but far from pleasing.

“What is happening?” something is wrong, Geto’s plans are not going the way it’s supposed to go. Everything was meticulously planned but it is as if someone has controlled their fates or changed the astral influence.  No, the seal!

Geto drops the Prison Realm and it shatters. Bright, painful purple light washes out the surrounding. The sorcerers covered their eyes and so did the cursed spirits.

….When Gojo Satoru was born, the fate of so many people was altered...

A presence makes its way in front of Geto and before he could even react, a fist came flying right through him, demolishing half of his face. It creates an ugly twist of his head before he is sent rolling several meters away. Raw physical force pummels him into dirt.

….But when the Blessed Child exists, she returns everything to its place…..

“Give his body back,” Gojo snarls with baring teeth, breathless with anger. His fury surges through him as wrathful purple energy surrounds him.

With corrupted expression, his razor-sharp crystal blue eyes say it all;

“GIVE IT BACK!”

Chapter Text

Like a malevolent specter, Gojo Satoru’s anger spikes at the creature who stole and used his best friend’s body. Bent on pulverization, he gave him a look of spite and a twisted expression far from normalcy.

Everyone who is witnessing this is shocked to the core. Most of them are relieved that the strongest sorcerer has successfully been freed from the seal but their reaction and feelings are also somewhat mixed with fear. 

This is the first time they have seen Gojo lose his cool. He is always that playful, energetic, and childish man, and seeing him in this unfamiliar stance frightens them. 

Geto pushes his face back to its original form after receiving a jaw-breaking punch from Gojo. He chuckles derisively as he rises again. 

“Yuuta-kun,” Gojo says with a deep voice, facing his back at the teen. “Assist Yuuji-kun against the patch-faced spirit,” he shoots his coldest glare at Tatsuya who is standing behind Geto. “I’ll take them  both .” he pressed.

Gripping the handle of his katana tightly, Yuuta is quick to his feet and turns to Yuuji but the patch-faced cursed spirit jounces at a high speed back to Geto’s side.

“OI!” Yuuji bellows.

“Seems this is going to be a problem,” Mahito sneers. “A three on three battle, what do you say, Geto?”

The man in question smirks sardonically and raises a hand, completely catching Mahito off guard. “Three on three...heh…”

Mahito widens his eyes and freezes at the act, realizing instantly what the man is about to do. He snaps his head at him, utter betrayal in his face until Geto’s technique morphs his body into a black ball of energy. 

A communal gasp and other surprised reactions erupt from the sorcerers. Jogo who is observing from afar is suddenly contemplating his decisions. 

Geto meets Gojo’s gaze before consuming the black ball which gives him the key to summon thousands of transfigured cursed spirits after a ground-shattering quake.

“Yuuta-kun! Yuuji-kun!” the white-haired sorcerer barks imperatively. “Take everyone far away from here, quick.”

“G-Gojo-sensei..” Yuuji hesitates to leave but Yuuta pulls him, fully understanding what Gojo means by that.

“He’s going to use domain expansion, let’s hurry!” 

Gojo remains unfazed as thousands of ugly monstrosities towers over him. He looks at them with vile contempt.

“I should have killed you before,” he says, directing the words at Tatsuya. “You scum.” he cocks his head at the man. After what he saw through Sairi’s memories in his short stay in the prison realm, Gojo is convinced that people who betray their friends and the others around them are the scum of the earth. But people who betray their family members are the worst types. 

Tatsuya growls, unaccepting this massive turn of events. Everything was going as planned so how come it has turned to this?

“Your existence shouldn’t happen! It is because of your power that our clan is cursed!” he growls.

“Let me say this to you, Tatsuya,” Gojo’s attention shifts to the spirits as he lifts two fingers and interweaves it. “The likes of you are worse than curses.”

…. Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void ….

A metaphysical space immerses everything around him except for the Jujutsu sorcerers who transferred in a safer zone. In a blink of an eye, Gojo set himself sideways of Geto, his left foot came flying at the man but he dodged as quickly as it moves. 

“Heh, you even have his reflexes,” Gojo comments. “Suguru, until when are you going to allow that guy to use you?” 

His words take effect on the owner of the body. Geto’s neck cracks as if denying the sorcerer’s taunt, pushing away the foreign entity that possessed him.

Gojo uses this opportunity to strike again. Blue and red energy racks up to his fists. “Suguru!” he yells.

It’s the first time this has happened and Geto - the creature inside - got overwhelmed by the Six Eyes power and his agitation. There’s no way I miscalculated everything for this to end! My plans…!

Just before Gojo tirades him with Purple, Brain jumps out of Geto’s head and throttles another man who also got stuck in the domain expansion.

With bated breath, Gojo watches astounded as Brain cuts the half of Tatsuya’s head with its gross meat-like limbs, creating a macabre sight of splattered blood and gore. 

Geto Suguru’s body drops on the ground, unmoving. 

“I will…not...fail..my world of sorcerers!” Brain using Tatsuya’s body and a voice announces lunatically. The thousand cursed spirits who seem to turn to stones start howling and screeching until they crumble into a gruesome tiny pieces of crimson due to Unlimited Void’s force.

“This is not the end for me, Gojo Satoru. I will one day return and with the knowledge of your clan, will carry out my goals.” Brain gives him a mischievous smile and makes a hand sign that Gojo recognizes at once.

“HEY!” Gojo spins to catch him, he even tightens the gravity around his domain but Tatsuya - one who is from the Gojo clan - have the technique to escape in his domain.

In a heartbeat, Brain with his newly achieved body vanishes, leaving Gojo with the thousand dispersed exorcised cursed spirits and Geto Suguru’s body next to it.

Megumi is scuttling around the empty streets, looking for anyone from the Jujutsu High right after his battle with a weird man who just committed suicide or if that man was a cursed spirit. The mysterious man has no cursed energy but something in him tells Megumi that he has met him before. When or when - he doesn’t know.

“Megumi!” the teen abruptly stopped as soon as he heard the familiar female voice of his cousin coming in his direction. 

“Maki!”

Maki pants and balances herself by placing her palms at her knee caps. “Are you okay?”

Megumi nods firmly. “This is just a scratch, how about you?” 

“I am fine, two broken ribs—”

“Wait what? Let’s get you healed by Shoko-san then.” Megumi insists and holds her arm.

“No,” Maki shakes her head. “My body is trained to withstand these kinds of injuries, I’m fine. Let’s look for the others.” she reasons. 

Megumi checks her again with his eyes and reluctantly agrees. Not that he can change her mind. He knows Maki won’t back down on her decision. Besides, he can guess why she wants to stay in the place.

“Heyyyyy!!” from inside a building, Nobara and Inumaki exits. “Are you guys alright?” the orange-haired girl’s face is bleeding, making the cousins gape at her in bewilderment at the question when she herself needs to answer it the most. 

“What happened to your face?!” Maki points out panicky.

“Fish flakes.” Inumaki says and sighs. 

“Oh, this? Yeah, it hurts like hell.” Nobara admits and wipes the blood. “And it’s disgusting.”

Megumi groans in resignation. What’s with these women? 

“That’s enough. Inumaki-senpai, can you bring her to Shoko-san? I’ll search the area with Maki.” 

“Salmon.” the cursed speech user agrees. Nobara wails in a complaint because she also wants to go with them but at the same time her head is pulsating and it needs immediate medical attention. Megumi waves a hand dismissively and Inumaki drags the girl away before it escalates to a serious injury.

“Let’s find them,” Megumi says. “You want to meet  him , right?”

Maki stammers and blushes furiously, almost wanting to choke her cousin for stating the obvious. 

“Y-You...shut up Megumi!” she bites her lower lip. “It’s not because of Yuuta!” 

Megumi scratches his cheek with his pointing finger and looks away. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the poor denial.  Ha, women.

They continue to look for the others when Megumi hears a whimpering voice from inside a convenience store. Maki follows behind him as he checks it.

“Huh?” she peers into the darkness and pokes her head behind Megumi.

A boy not older than two years is huddling between a wall and a vending machine, scared and alone.

“Hey,” Megumi calls in a manner of not spooking him. The boy with emerald eyes lifts his head to look at him. 

“Come with us, you’re safe now.” he holds out his hand and the boy stares at it.

“Why is he so scared?” Maki wonders. “Unless he can see spirits?”

“Yeah,” Megumi dips his head. The boy can see cursed spirits, no doubt about that. The expression on his face and the fact that he is hiding instead of looking for someone outside proves that he can see them.

“Hey boy, what’s your name?” she asks. 

Luckily the boy decides to hold Megumi's hand and as the teen carries him outside, he glances shyly at Maki, burying half of his face on Megumi’s shoulder.

“Rui...”

Not long after, they find Akari roaming nearby and asked her to take the boy in a safe place.

A great sigh of relief breaks free from their system at the confirmation that the battle is over. Yuuta heals Nanami’s using reverse cursed technique where Yuuji cheers in delight, praising the older teen’s abilities and strength in battle. 

“Ah! I think I want to be like you!” Yuuji admires. 

Yuuta chuckles with a blush, feeling embarrassed at the attention he’s suddenly gathering. The Kyoto students observe them while sitting on the ground. 

“It’s over…” Utahime sighs, looking at Gojo at the lower ground as the man stands next to his best friend's corpse. She doesn’t want to interrupt his moment and so she stayed with the students. Gojo mourned for so long after he was forced to end Geto and Utahime wanted to respect his privacy.

“I don’t get it, how did that spirit escape?” Kamo is confused. “Is it because their new host is a Gojo?”

“That must be it,” Panda agrees. “The Gojo clan has their innate techniques. It must be that teleportation is one of them,” he looks at Yuuta. “Is that right, Yuuta?”

Yuuta glances at him while his palms are facing Nanami’s regenerating broken arm, his energy flows around it. “Yes,” he confirms. “There’s nothing that the Unlimited Void can’t trap with the exemptions of a few existences and that includes...someone with the same bloodline with the same innate technique. The energy flowing from the domain confused the appearance of the same technique with its user. It’s uncommon but it happens.”

"Damn then that's one hell of a coincidence." Mai frets.

The other students hum in understanding excluding Todo, Yuuji, and Choso who are having arguments about friendship and brotherly love. Todo asked Choso what’s his type where he answered it doesn’t matter to him and he just wants to protect Yuuji where Todo threatens to break his bones if he doesn’t give him a satisfying answer. Yuuji of course steps in between them before bloodshed begins.

“Sensei! Everyone!” Megumi’s voice takes their attention. He is followed by Maki.

“M-Maki…” Yuuta’s eyes shift to Maki and the girl catches her breath meeting his gaze.

“Yuuta, your hands are on my face,” Nanami warns as Yuuta’s concentration is interrupted by Maki’s arrival.

“S-Sorry!” with such a terrifying amount of cursed energy and intimidating presence, seeing him getting all flustered is almost laughable.

Same old Yuuta.  Panda smiles.

Mai goes to her twin sister and slightly teases her by poking her sides before Megumi could even stop her which resulted in Maki yelping in pain because of the two broken ribs she got from her fight earlier. Her cry steals Yuuta’s concern and Nanami gestures that he feels better already and that the boy can attend to curing Maki next.

With awkward gazes, flinches, stuttering, and reddened faces, Yuuta sits next to her as he places his palms near her ribs. Maki couldn't keep her face straight and looked away after thanking him.

The Kyoto students chatter in the background led by Mai’s enthusiastic grin. Maki scolds her twin sister but it falls on deaf ears as the other students continue to talk about her and Yuuta. 

Meanwhile, Kusakabe who remains silent for a long while grumbles, arms akimbo on his waist, eyes on the students.

“I can smell the embarrassment from here.” 

Kusakabe, Nanami and Megumi sigh at the same time.

Their little light moment is interrupted when they hear a thud nearby and all of them are alarmed seeing who it is.

“Utahime-sensei!” the students hovered around the woman who just lost consciousness. Maki pushes Yuuta to heal her first and hurriedly lifts Utahime’s upper body to put over his lap with a nervous Yuuji assisting him. But there is nothing Yuuta’s technique could do for Utahime to gain her energy back. 

….my cursed energy can’t pass through her?

“What is it, senpai?” a troubled Yuuji asks, noticing the confusion in Yuuta’s face. The other students are as confused as him. 

The commotion catches Gojo’s attention and the white-haired man instantly leaps above. He creates a portal made from black circular marks on the ground. 

 Wordlessly, he leans down and puts one arm behind Utahime’s back and the other under her legs taking her from Yuuta’s care, lifting her bridal style.

“Jump, we’re leaving,” Gojo says simply.

One by one, they jump inside the portal and it transports them to Metropolitan Express Route No. 3 Shibuya Line Tollgate where Yaga and Shoko are currently staying. 

Shoko notices his and everyone’s presence while attending to Ijichi’s injuries. Seeing Utahime is unconscious in his arms, she scrambles to her feet and directs him to put her in a private room. Soon, the three of them entered inside leaving everyone behind.

The students can tell that something fishy is going on. Ever since Utahime left them, her students didn’t stop making assumptions about what is the real cause of her sudden transfer. They initially believed that she’s in a business-related matter but staying for too long in Tokyo raises multiple suspicions that she has a deeper reason.

“It’s the stress,” Shoko removes the stethoscope in her ears. “She just needs plenty of rest.”

Gojo’s apprehension has been lifted and lets out a sigh of relief. “Just as I thought, thank goodness it’s not something related to the child’s energy.”

“I’m surprised too,” the woman says. “To think Utahime was able to run around and look for you with all that anxiety.”

Gojo gazes at Utahime’s sleeping form softly, glad to know that she is fine after all that happened. 

“I need to go somewhere. Shoko, can you look after her?” he puts the blindfold back to cover his eyes.

“No need to ask me.” Shoko replies before the white-haired sorcerer turns to leave. 

Once outside, the students back away from the door like jumpy rabbits and tries - but fail to fake their curiosity. Yuuji and Megumi are out of sight, probably visiting Nobara while Yuuta is with the rest of the second years in the far right corner while the Kyoto students were obviously eavesdropping. 

He didn’t mind and continued on his way. 

“Yuuta-kun, let’s talk about something one of these days.”

Gojo says before taking his leave to check on his older sister and nephew. 

The Shibuya incident may be over but he still needs to solve matters that involve their clan. Especially now that the enemy has possessed one of them.

Three days after the incident - Jujutsu High, Shoko’s clinic. 9:30 am.

Utahime’s revelation takes their breath and ability to think straight away.

The Kyoto students look at her, shocked and dumbfounded, unable to process what they did just hear.

“P-pregnant?!” all of them, except Mechamaru who is still in a deep slumber, choruses. 

“Then...the father is…” Mai gulps as the realization dawns on them. 

“Gojo-sensei.” Miwa who is sitting near Mechamaru’s sleeping form says.

“How..I mean, uh, you guys were…” the words are stuck in Nishimiya’s throat. 

Kamo and Todo remain quiet and only listen.

“It was unplanned. I chose to leave because of some personal reason that concerns Gojo’s family and because of that, I wouldn’t be able to perform my duties. But I want you to know that it was not my intention to abandon all of you. I would have loved to stay if the situation is different.” Utahime explains. She just regains her strength and Shoko allows her to go home today. At the same time, her students are scheduled to depart back to Kyoto. 

Her pregnancy couldn’t be hidden forever and this is the right time to tell her students about it. 

“I’m sorry, everyone.” she apologizes, clasping her hands and bows apologetically.

“Sensei, you don’t need to apologize!” Mai tells.

“Yes! It’s nothing!” Miwa adds. “Whatever your reason is, you don't need to tell us, we will understand.” 

“Miwa…” Utahime’s eyes soften at them.

Nishimiya steps forward and holds her hands assuringly. “Sensei, it’s your life and we are happy for you. Now, make sure the baby will be healthy and stop worrying about us, okay?” she smiles with a wink.

"Yeah! We're strong! no need to treat us like babies!" Todo gives her a thumbs up.

Kamo nod and smile, expressing the same thing.

"You guys," Utahime half expected that they will be somewhat disappointed but it didn't turn out like it. The children she has taken cared of are growing up and she will be always proud of them.

Later, Utahime and Miwa talk about Mechamaru and the way he helped in the incident. The girl is concerned if Mechamaru will be expelled or punished for feeding information to their enemies where Utahime said she needs not to worry about it because the betrayal remains a secret between Gojo, Shoko, and her. Only Miwa knows the truth about Mechamaru among the students. Together, they vowed to never tell anyone before the Kyoto students left for their trip.

Utahime is then picked up by Megumi to accompany her back to her apartment. Her things were returned by Enmei-san two days ago. Gojo has informed her of Koharu’s condition after her fight with Mahito and she is thankful that the woman is alive although she lost one eye from that battle. 

9:20 am  -  Aoyama Cemetery

The air smells like frost. It is dry, prickly but far from unlikeable. Autumnal color is everywhere. It is chilly but there is still a lingering warmth. A constant reminder of the cold to come. There is a reason why it is called the season of life and death.

He places the bouquet of blue and white flowers over the fresh grave of his best friend. 

“Didn’t expect you’d come here this early,” 

Noticing a footfall coming over, Gojo’s lips turn upwards and slide both hands inside his pocket as he straightens up.

Principal Yaga stands next to him. “I know this is not the place to talk about this but I have to tell you right away,” 

Gojo glances at the man with his blindfolded eyes. “Let me guess! It’s about the higher-ups.” he correctly predicted. Yaga snorts.

 “They want you to receive a disciplinary action for the improper disposing of Suguru's body last year,” Yaga said, mildly tense. “at the very least, we should be thankful that the situation did not escalate further. We have people who are injured and a few in a grave condition which Shoko is handling at the moment. But the number of civilians who died in that incident is large enough that it cannot be ignored.”

“Man~ they surely want my life to be hard,” Gojo complains in a sing-sang tone. “What do they want then? Kick me out of the society?”

“You know that’s impossible because of your family.” Yaga pushes the rim of his glasses. “From what I’ve heard, they will be suspending you from teaching temporarily.” 

“Temporarily,” Gojo repeats. “tell them there’s no need for them to do that.”

The older of the two looked at him inquisitively. “What do you mean?”

“Hmm, let’s say I had a change of mind,” Gojo starts. “I wanted to change the system through education but things are different now. I’m making my own path to do that.”

Yaga couldn’t fully grasp what he was talking about until he focused on his mention of the word ‘different’.

“It’s the child?”

Gojo nods. “Utahime is no longer teaching in Jujutsu High so there’s no reason for them to go after her. She’ll be considered a civilian now. Although she still has a connection to the school they don’t necessarily have to contact her. I doubt they will do that when she’s in relations with me though.”

 “Satoru, why didn’t you tell me about this before?” he asks. 

Gojo snickers. “It’s a family issue. Besides, neither any sorcerer nor even Master Tengen can do something about my child’s energy.” the blessed energy will only oppose the cursed energy and Gojo thought divulging the issue to the sorcerers will do more harm than good. He trusts Yaga but as much as possible, he wants to isolate the problem within his family and closest friend. Not even his students know the secret of the child’s unique energy.

“Well, it’s something we cannot hide forever,” Gojo breathes out in a relaxing manner. “our clan will mostly shoulder the extermination of that Brain cursed spirit since he took one of us as a new host.”

“Then, what do you plan?” the man asks again, intrigued. He waits for a couple of seconds before Gojo answers.

“I’m taking over the family head position.”

When they are done talking, they pay respect to Geto’s grave and hope for eternal peace for his soul. He can still vividly remember the times they spent together. Although their friendship didn’t end favorably, Geto will remain as his one and only best friend. It is something that not even their different perspective could erase for as long as he lives.

Gojo goes to his next appointment of the day. He walks leisurely, taking his sweet time admiring the scenery of the falling leaves and people passing by. He likes taking long walks during his free time the most. Along his stroll, he wishes he’s with Utahime. There is not a day that he’s not thinking about her but he still has to do his duties before he gets to spend his time with her again. He is starting to miss their little shopping and hours of conversation, just as much as their bantering and teasings. Unknowingly, he finds himself smiling just by thinking of her. Gojo takes a mental note to bring her next time when she’s feeling better. 

He arrived at Tokyo Sky Deck in Roppongi Hills past 10:00 am. An open-air observatory that provides a 360-degree view of the city. Yuuta wondered why they cannot discuss it in Jujutsu High instead but Gojo told him that it isn’t a subject that should be talked about in such a place. Good thing it is a Monday so there are fewer people in the place. 

“C-curse of the Six Eyes?” Yuuta looks at him in utter bewilderment after Gojo tells him everything about the Blessed Child. “If the curse is still going then that means you are at a risk of death once the child is born?”

“My child will need a mentor to utilize their blessed energy. Yuuta-kun, when the day comes, I’m leaving them to your care.”

“What?!” the teen gives him an incredulous look. “But..sensei, why me?”

Gojo flashes a cheeky grin. “Because you are a descendant of Sugawara! and it’s only fitting for you to handle them since you two are both connected with the Prison Realm. Your ancestry has something to do with the object she once started. Yuuta-kun, you’re the only person I can trust with this.”

Yuuta takes a moment to accept it. “Don’t take it the wrong way, sensei, I am grateful for your trust in me. But this is something no one in the sorcerer world has dealt before.”

The older of the two hums in agreement.

“If I..happen to fail in mentoring them, then the curse will continue and you will die?” he questions stiffly.

“Mh-hm!” Gojo nods like it’s nothing.  

“Eh? sensei, are you even taking this seriously?” Yuuta shoots him scowl as if telling somewhere in between ‘please say you’re joking’ or ‘at least be serious’. The heavy weight of this responsibility is starting to get to him.

Gojo laughs at the teen’s troubled face. “I sure do! That’s why I’m leaving this to you.”

Yuuta muses briefly and looks around the new batch of people entering the place but his mind is nowhere near them. “We are dealing with a reincarnated spirit here.”

“The goal of rebirth is to achieve Nirvana,” Gojo places his elbows over the steel barrier and hunches, staring at the Metropolis below. “Once Nirvana is achieved, the cycle of reincarnation will end. So did the curse.”

Yuuta remembers during one of his travels in South Asia - in India, where the people are obsessed with the concept of being born again. It is another spiritual country where he met some traveling sorcerers. He has so many things to learn and places to go so Miguel and him left after a short stay and advanced to the Middle East. Had he known he will deal with the cycle of reincarnation, he would’ve chosen to stay longer and learn more.

“Sensei, you’re theorizing that for the reincarnation to end, the child should be a better version of their past life.” 

“The child didn’t have someone to guide her in her past life. But things would be different now since they are going to have both of their parents and a mentor,” he looks at Yuuta.

“But first! I need to ensure their permission to live from our elders!” he raises his pointing finger eagerly.

“How are you going to do that?” Yuuta’s eyebrow slightly arches, both in curiosity and concern. With all sincerity, he wants to help with this issue not just because Gojo is asking him but also because it kind of feels like his responsibility too as a descendant of Sugawara. He is related to the Gojo clan and therefore he is related to the child. If he can hone the talents of that child then it will create a drastic change in the sorcerer world. 

The idea came to him and Yuuta realizes the point.

Gojo smirks, seeing how his student has become aware of what he’s planning from his facial expression.

“By offering them a  pleasant  bargain.”

Utahime walks side by side with Megumi on the streets. The boy remained quiet and polite, only speaking when it’s necessary, a complete opposite of his other two friends. Gojo has mentioned before that despite his introverted nature, Megumi is a good kid and Utahime can see it. She is also aware that the boy is highly intellectual and more likely than not, Megumi already knows why Gojo asked them to stay with her from time to time despite not asking about it. With this, Utahime wants them to know her pregnancy as well just to be fair but they are Gojo’s students and she thinks it would be more appropriate if he’s the one to spill the beans.

“A two-year-old boy who can see spirits?” she peers at the student and then on the road. “That’s rare. Usually, a child starts seeing spirits at the age of five to seven.”

“It seems that the deaths of both of his parents triggered it,” Megumi says. “they died during the incident in Shibuya. Probably one of the people who committed mass suicide in the train station because of Gojo Tatsuya’s technique.”

“Oh my,” Utahime’s heart sinks, her hand flying to her chest, thinking about the boy’s feelings. As an expectant mother, she became easily affected by a child’s well-being. “Who’s going to look after the boy now?” she asks with deep concern.

“His grandmother from father’s side has taken custody of him. Although, his life won’t be the same.”

Utahime sighs at this, knowing that the boy has awakened an, in all likelihood, innate talent to see spirits, he won’t live a normal life anymore.

“Maki said she talked about him with Mai and since the Zenin family have a keen interest in children who possess special prowess, they might as well propose to train the child when the time comes.”

“Does the child have cursed energy?” Utahime’s question surprised herself. Not that it is out of place or anything but because it sounds like it didn’t come from her at all. Perhaps, her subconscious. 

Megumi is taken aback by this and thinks. Now that Utahime has mentioned it, the boy has little to no cursed energy in defiance of his ability to sense cursed spirits.

“No, I don’t think he does,” he replies. “but it’s still too early to tell.”

Utahime agrees with this and dips her head. The boy is only two years old, who knows if he develops more of his innate talent.

They reached her apartment around noon and Utahime thanked Megumi for accompanying her. She closed the apartment’s door behind and as expected, everything is the same just as when she left it. 

Or so she thought.

Before she could reach her bedroom to return her belongings, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. 

She finds a bouquet of purple, highly-fragrant, and bell-shaped flowers sitting on the kitchen table. It is wrapped in green kraft paper with a floral print on the inside where the flowers are neatly arranged. 

Utahime carefully picks it up and finds it lovely. 

“I know you’re there,” she says, looking at the door of her bedroom. 

A creak is heard and the door slowly opens, revealing Gojo who is hiding behind it. He comes over with a sheepish grin. 

“Liked it?”

“What is this for?” Utahime glances at the flowers. 

He frowns and pouts.

“Eh? Utahime, those are hyacinths. It means-”

“What I'm asking is what are these fo r?” she clears.

Gojo scratches the back of his head and sways, looking away. “It’s…”

“Hm?” Utahime steps close to him with an expectant small smile, anticipating something that so uncharacteristically from the man. Giving a bouquet to a woman doesn’t seem to be Gojo Satoru’s way either so she can already sense that whatever had pushed him to do this took him heavy consideration. 

“I’m sorry,” he says earnestly, looking at her under his blindfolded eyes. “Purple hyacinths means ‘forgive me’.”

Utahime controls the urge to chuckle at this, putting a hand between her lips. She has never foreseen that Gojo has this side of him by communicating feelings through flowers. The last time they talked in person was fifteen days ago and it ended in a discourse. 

“Thank you, I liked it.” she says, admiring the bouquet in her hands. 

Gojo beams at her, content that she has accepted the flowers and his apology. 

“Utahime, about what you said that day,” 

She hasn't realized she is holding her breath recalling her last words to him on the day they last talked. Utahime’s entire face flushed thinking about how she accidentally confesses her feelings. 

….I hate you! And I hate myself for falling for a selfish person like you!....

“Ah- That..I-I was out of m-my mind!” Utahime stutters, stepping away as if something stepped on her foot. “What I mean...”

Gojo finds it endearingly cute, Ms. I'm-always-prim-and-proper-and-therefore-you-should-respect-me, Iori Utahime - blushing like a high schooler who just confessed to her long-time crush. 

He moves closer to her this time, forcing Utahime to move backward, almost slipping between the table and the void. Gojo catches her by putting an arm behind her waist. He leans down, closer.

“I just want to hear that again.” his voice is so deep and seductive and his smile is somewhere in between a teasing smirk or a genuinely curious request where Utahime cannot figure what’s real anymore because her brain is just screaming and her heart is hammering inside her chest begging to hold him close. But there is something sort of an enigma behind his words and Utahime wants to confirm this. It's so hard for her to read what's on his mind without seeing his eyes - those eyes that never lie.

Utahime reaches for his blindfold and meets his gaze.

 Gojo has learned many things through the course of their predicament. From the reasons why he was acting like a complete fool around her than any other woman for so many years to the way he cares deeply for her. He feels happy when she's happy and he feels pain when she's in pain. 

After he got stuck in the Prison Realm, he had experienced something he never felt before -  helplessness , and from this, fear was born - fear that after all, he is no different from anyone, that he is but a mortal soul, vindictive and vulnerable. Aside from his skills, he's no special - he's no god. Humans are truly fragile monstrosities. And as both a human and a monster, he is bound to acknowledge his weak spot and realizations. 

“Gojo,”

“I love you,” 

Utahime blinks a couple of times as if those three words didn't register in her brain that it came from him. Her mouth was left hanging in the air. For a moment she thought this is another episode of her dreams but no, Gojo is there right before her in the flesh.

“I said I love you, Utahime.” Gojo repeats and gently removes his hand from her back like an act of resignation. “But I understand if you won’t believe me.” he admits and she swears there is sadness in his eyes. 

She swallows, now her face has turned to paler red. Utahime is beyond speechless even after Gojo turns around to leave, staring at the ghost of his figure when he reaches the door for his way out.

Left with nothing but silence and unexpected declaration, her blaring mind pushes her body to chase him. 

Chapter Text

It wasn’t a matter of yes or no. It wasn’t even a question that needed to be answered. 

Utahime goes after him before Gojo could turn the doorknob and leave.

“Gojo!” 

Her voice catches him unmoving, unflinching and he gazes back at her unwavering. 

Gojo Satoru is a man who is hard to read. No one really knows what he is thinking nor what his deepest desires are. That said, for someone to completely decipher his thoughts and feelings, he needs to say it out loud. 

Utahime realizes this and gathers all her strength to confront him.

“Why you…” she clenches and unclenches her fists. Her lips trembled and her body stiff. 

He looks at her questioningly, waiting to see what she might be up to.

“You can’t just say that and suddenly leave, you idiot!” she scolds with a blush. It’s the same old face she flashes at him whenever she’s getting impatient.

Gojo laughs at this playfully. He’s about to open his mouth for a reply but what she did next has fully caught him off guard, overtaking him.

Utahime leaps onto him, her arms wrapping around him and he catches her weight without any difficulty. She buries her nose at the crook of his neck leaving Gojo stunned at the sudden act.

“I was scared…” she whispers, heaving. “..of so many things involving you.”

Gojo can’t help but crack a smile, seeing how she wants to appear tough yet delicate at the same time. “You still hate me?” he asks stupidly in a breathy voice as he gently tightens his arms around her body clinging onto him. The familiar scent of her hair tingles his senses.

Utahime raises his face and amber eyes meet blue ones. She furrowed her eyebrows. 

“You’re not making any sense.”

“That’s why you hate me?” it’s obvious, he’s teasing her from what she said fifteen days ago.

“I swear, Gojo.” Utahime scowls at this and he dares to chuckle. “Just stop talking will you?”

“Oooooh, make me~” he challenges with a smirk. And with their current position, it only made it worse. His tantalizing gaze tempts her.

“My lips should be doing something other than talking right now, Utahime.” he speaks softly, glancing at her lips then back at her face. His vibrant blue eyes reflect the expanses of the heavens that he wants to offer her.

 Utahime bites back a giggle but smiles nonetheless.

She places a hand upon his cheek, her thumb grazing the soft contour of his mouth. The look on his face suggests that he’s been longing to be touched like this. He yearns for her hold, body, and soul.

Gojo   leans and kisses her, softly yet a bit desperate. Her mouth slides smoothly against his until it grows to an intense one, until they are sighing and panting, both gasping for air.

“Satoru,” 

That cue is enough for him to get all the hints and before Utahime can blink, her back is on the mattress of her bedroom with Gojo crawling on top of her. He eyed her for a long moment, searching before the tension left his body and he became once more the man she had known.

Utahime’s hair splayed out the mattress and her chest rising and falling for being out of breath after breaking the kiss. Gojo gives her a look mixed with being pleased and satisfied at the sight below him before his lips break into a peal of mild laughter and locked his lips with hers again. Sloppily, hungrily, his hands go under her clothes and she allows it, guiding his hands to undress her until the only thing that is left is her underwear. A pair of plain black lingerie welcomes him.

In return, she pulls his clothes and Gojo raises his arms for his shirt to be completely off. He unbuttoned his pants and threw it off the marble floor.

“I like the sound of it,” he says huskily. “my name on your lips.”

Utahime is too distracted by the body on top of her to give another snarky comment. Her fingertips reach for his naked shoulder blades down to his chest, admiring his well-toned body, and blushes at the realization that she’s doing it on purpose. Her eyes shot open.

“What’s wrong?” Gojo holds her wrists and places them next to her head. “It’s too late to get shy now, Utahime.”

“Shy?” Utahime retorts, despite looking away with her reddened face. A sorry attempt to defend her earlier actions. She hates how easily it is for her to get flushed cheeks because of him. 

“I’m...I’m not...” 

Gojo kisses her shoulder and runs his lips on her skin towards her ear. Utahime turns her face at him and catches his lips with hers. There it is, the weightless desire between them that has always been there. The desire that both of them were either ignoring or clueless for such a long time. Emerging like wildfire in a deep forest, hidden beyond the veil.

He cups her bra with his palms as he kisses her with his tongue until Gojo pushes it down and feels her bare breasts. Utahime’s hand flies on her back and pushes her chest to unhook it. Gojo then tossed the bra somewhere in the bed. 

They remember the firmness of their touch, the familiar trail of their hands against each other's skin that their mind may have forgotten since that fateful night. 

Utahime gasps as Gojo nuzzles onto her breasts and showers it with kisses while fondling it and she arches her back at pleasure. She lifts herself with her hands around his neck and kisses him. Soon they are swallowing each other again. 

He can feel his hardness, throbbing against the fabric of his boxers. Gojo reaches for it and removes it with one fell swoop.

“Oh dear,” Utahime actually says it out loud, breaking the profound air between them. She looks at his face, wide eyes, and then wonders how it fit inside hers when they did the thing. That must have been hurt like hell without the effects of alcohol. 

It is the first and only male private part that she has personally encountered and of course, Gojo as a man knows this.

She half expected him to make fun of her reaction but instead of laughing, he kisses her forehead like a quiet promise. He moves an eyebrow up glancing at her panties and Utahime prods it over his hand, skimming onto the smoothness of her legs until it falls.

He spread her legs and positions himself. She squirms beneath him as she takes him in and he reminds himself to stay gentle, careful not to press too much pressure on her belly where their child resides. Utahime goes flaccid and then toughened to ready herself, taking and meeting the next thrusts. She was calling to him, inviting him, murmuring in his ear as he pounds into her, and Gojo could only grunt and moan her name in response, savoring the moment of being one with her, their bodies collide and moves in the same rhythm, now with complete awareness of what they are doing, and it feels good, so good that she’s the only thing that mattered to him at this very moment.

He wants her so badly, he wants her more than he ever wanted anyone else.

Jujutsu High campus, 4:15 pm

Everything feels surreal.

“Hey, does it feel weird?” Yuuji asks, his friends glancing up at him in one of the school’s benches. He gazes above, watching the birds fly.

“In what sense?” Nobara asks back, following his gaze.

Megumi stares from a distance and for a reason that is not specified, gets what Yuuji means by that.

“Yeah,” he says. “It’s like..unnatural.”

“Huh?” Nobara peers at them. “What do you guys mean?” 

“That it ended without any of us getting killed.” Megumi answers, which makes the other two gawk at him.

“Fushiguro sheesh,” Yuuji wheezes. “You actually said it. I only mean that it’s suspiciously quiet after what happened three days ago.”

“Shouldn’t we be thankful instead? What’s wrong with you guys?” Nobara rolls her eyes, not understanding that instead of being grateful that no one died among them, they question it.

“It’s not that,” Megumi starts. “What if one of us is supposed to die that night?”

“Come on now,” Nobara groans. “I am the woman here but it is you who overthinks! Also, a lot of us are injured, you see?” she points at her face with bandages. “We should be thankful, not doubtful!”

Yuuji sighs. “But Kugisaki, I also think that we only got lucky that we successfully retrieved sensei from that box. If not...then…” he trails off. 

“A lot of people will die, civilians and sorcerers.” Megumi continues.

His friends frown at the straightforwardness. 

“He’s right.” 

A deep, manly voice interrupts their talk and the blond sorcerer emerges from the hallway.

“Nanamin!” Yuuji beams, jumping to his feet to greet him. “Are you alright now?”

“I’m feeling better,” Nanami answers. It’s all thanks to Yuuta’s healing technique. “I see you are talking about something.” 

The three students look at each other, waiting for one of them to explain. 

Among the other injured members of the school, they are the only ones who are staying on campus while the second year are ordered to deal with the traces of cursed spirits in Shibuya. The first years think that they should be going too but with special grade Okkotsu Yuuta around, it justifies why only the second years are tasked with this. 

“It’s about these possibilities, chances, that if we didn’t succeed in freeing Gojo-sensei, some of us could have been dead by now.” Yuuji elaborates unhappily. The agitation in his tone is showing that he doesn’t want to imagine the situation had it turned negatively. The thought of him losing yet another precious person to him breaks him. He already feels bad for not being the one to finish Mahito off but either way, he’s glad that it’s over.

Nanami nods, taking the students’ worries into rumination. He joins them on the bench as they watch the afternoon passing by. He himself isn’t sure if he’s fated to live another day after that incident. 

In silence, Nanami muses. Did their destinies shift? Did the wheel of fate make a massive turn, reshaping how it turned out? Has everything supposedly ended on a more tragic note? 

Howbeit, he gives thanks to whatever higher power that altered it. Truly the world is one mystical place to live in, maybe it’s not so boring and shit after all. 

When he wakes up, he wakes up alone. But there’s the lingering warmth and smell of her that she left on the bed next to him. Gojo draws a long breath, staring at the white ceiling, still naked from head to toe with the comforter around him. Then he looks at the bedside table and finds his clothes are neatly folded. He smiles at this, before taking his underwear and pants and strides outside the room.

He finds Utahime in the kitchen in an apron, absorbed in preparing food with her hair in a high ponytail. The sounds of utensils clinking at each other as she mixes something in the ceramic bowl.

 It takes her a moment before she notices that he’s there.

Utahime looks at him then back on what she’s doing.

“I’m preparing dinner,” she says quietly. “you don’t have any allergies, right?” 

Gojo shakes his head with an amused smile and approaches her, barefoot and shirtless. Utahime is facing the kitchen counter and he snuggles on her neck, pulling her for a back hug. 

“I left your shirt at the bedside table,” she says, concentrating on blending the ingredients. 

“Mhm,”

“You might catch a cold,” she turns to face him. “go on and get dressed properly.” 

There she goes again with being such a mother-hen. Gojo pouts and holds her waist, pulling her close.

“But I want your cuddles to stay warm.” he whines like a child. Apparently, maturity doesn’t come out from age and size.  

Utahime squints at him and sighs. “I’m busy,”

“But Utahimeeeee,”

“I need to prepare food or the three of us will go hungry.”

Gojo seems to be fully woken up by it. Right, it’s not just the two of them around. 

“While you’re here, why don’t you help me instead? Here, take this.” Utahime removes the apron from her neck and puts it on Gojo. She almost chokes at the sight she created, of him wearing an apron under his bare torso - how come this guy is provokingly sexy in everything he wears?!

She spins her heels to calm down.  Stop it . Utahime hisses at herself as she washes some utensils. It’s not like you and him didn’t sleep together! Twice! For heaven's sake!

With a glimpse and a low chuckle, Gojo of course didn’t miss the guise on her face. He grabs the spatula and puts oil in it before turning the stove on.

“You’re mine now.” he declares.

Utahime glances at him. “What?”

“You called me by my name,” Gojo grins, tilting his head at her. “You’re now Gojo Satoru’s woman!”

She recalls the time when she warned him that she is not his woman. When she just transferred to her apartment after her first meeting with Koharu. Utahime shifts tensely and mouths a few words that couldn’t come out as words. 

“No— what—Satoru you!”

Ah shit.

Gojo laughs out loud, his head bounces backward, and hooks her waist with one arm as he holds the spatula with the other hand. Utahime taps his cheek with no real force, just to try to stop his laughter.

“I hate you!” she screeches with a tomato face.

He snuggles on her neck. 

“Satoru, the stove!” she pushes him gently pointing at the smoke coming out from the stove.

“I know it’s hot but come on Utahime, I’m hotter!”

“For the love of....”

Before Utahime can say another word, Gojo silenced her with his mouth. She groans and repeats the same reprimand, saying he better not be planning to burn down her apartment. 

“Say it,” he smirks.

“The what?”

“That you don’t hate me, that you love me, Utahime.”

She clicks her tongue. Honestly, it’s not that hard to say but it is Gojo who is making it harder for her to admit her true feelings. With his wolfish grin and attitude, she can’t keep a straight face. 

“I...I hate,” she starts and swallows. “..that I lo..”

Gojo blocks her again and she pushes him.

“I can’t even say it because you keep on kissing me!” Utahime nags. 

He turns his attention on the stove. Gojo drops the ingredients in it and stirs it with the spatula thoroughly. 

“That’s all I need to know…” he mutters with a smile of satisfaction spread across his face. 

Utahime looks at him and she couldn’t remember when she had seen him this radiant before. It is far from where he pokes fun at everyone, different from when he laughs around with his students or when he’s happy in general. 

He looks like he’s on cloud nine.

“I love you,” she concedes, finally.

His gaze turns at her with a half-surprised face. 

“You idiot.” 

Gojo chortles at that and holds her tight, closer, while he cooks.

“I’m your idiot,” he brushes his lips at hers fleetingly, stealing another kiss.

“Forever.”

Chapter Text

Megumi rushes into the hospital as soon as the nurse assigned in Tsumiki’s room calls him in so early in the morning. He darts on the corridors, painted in blue and white, with hospital staffs and patients around but they register in his vision like bubbles, blurry and unrecognizable while his mind is scattered and fazed. 

Please be real..please be real...please be real!

He opens the door of Tsumiki’s door with such force that he almost broke it. Megumi stares stunned and out of breath. Slowly, it all comes down to him.

His sister is finally awake.

“Megumi…” Tsumiki smiles at him while a female nurse checks on her vital signs. Her room is quiet and plain-looking just like any other hospital room.

Megumi feels a weakness on his knees. Happiness and relief merge within him.

11:15 am, Shibuya

Today is the second day of their clearing. The second years are tasked to hunt down the remaining cursed spirits in Shibuya. Normally, one would raise a curtain so that the public eye would not see the operation but the higher-ups ordered them to do it without it for better communication within the team. The mission is led by the youngest special grade sorcerer, Okkotsu Yuuta who just returned to Japan a few days ago.

Yuuta assigned his friends to certain places that he deems to be the hideout of the cursed spirits. Small fry or not, they will exterminate them mercilessly, as commanded by their superiors - never leave any traces, even just a dot. 

They spent one and a half days searching the ward and exorcising the spirits. Around 10 am, Yuuta got a confirmation from Panda and Inumaki that they were finished clearing in their assigned place. 

“Alright, Panda-kun, Inumaki-kun,” he speaks with them through a wireless bluetooth earphone while he stands at the rooftop of a building. The chilly autumn breeze blowing on his face. “Please return to our rendezvous point.”

“Affirmative.” Panda says. “Did Maki finish too?”

“Um, she hasn’t contacted me yet. But I’m going to wait for her.”

Panda giggles diabolically from the background and glances at Inumaki who can hear it clearly because Panda activated the loudspeaker. Yuuta deliberately assigned the two together primarily because Inumaki cannot transmit messages through a verbal conversation and sending a message through a text during a fight is a hassle. He doesn't want to give Inumaki too much trouble knowing his limitations.

“Okaaaay,” Panda answers. “Then we will wait for you two, good luck!” 

“See you.” Yuuta is oblivious of the tease on his friend’s tone.

The teen gazes around from above. He waits for Maki’s confirmation for around five minutes before he decides to leave and find her himself.

Maki is strong. Yuuta considers her to be one of the strongest people he has ever met and believes that nothing bad has happened to her but just in case, he wants to see what’s taking her so long. 

He bustles to a dark street where he can sense the tiniest cursed energy that belongs to her. Yuuta has long familiarized himself with Maki’s energy, no matter how faint it is.

“Get off!” 

Yuuta turns his attention to the direction of the voice and hurriedly finds it. A mountain of exorcised cursed spirits floors him and Yuuta stares at it, dumbstruck.

At the top of the mini-mountain or corpses, Maki dusts her sleeves and swings her bloodied naginata polearm before noticing his presence.

The young man smiles at her in regards. Looks like the place he assigned to her carried the most numbers of cursed spirits in the area. Yuuta feels apologetic and consoled at the same time.

“Why are you here?” Maki asks, jumping off the curses. She momentarily became conscious of how she looks. Is her hair on some weird angle after the hunt? Does she look pale? Perhaps blushing - no wait - what?

“I came to check on you.” Yuuta smiles. “But.. I’m glad everything is alright.” he eyes on the surroundings and finds nothing was left among the curses. 

Maki returns her weapon on its case that flew at someplace before she started slashing her enemies to death. How she wishes Megumi is here to carry her arsenal of weapons. Sometimes she envies the sorcerers who can use cursed techniques but only because Megumi’s technique is so convenient and not because she is willing to exchange it with her physical prowess. 

“You can just call me through the phone, you know,” she grumbles but without being argumentative. It’s just her manner of speaking. “Are they done?”

“Yes,” Yuuta says. “Panda-kun and Inumaki-kun are waiting for us at our meeting point.” 

“Then..let’s head back,” Maki walks past him, trying to appear collected as possible. She kind of loses it around Yuuta.  Before that damned Panda thought of something else about us.  She groans at the back of her mind. 

As she predicted, Panda and Inumaki are smiling meaningfully upon seeing them together  when they return. Maki could have sworn that those two were having the time of their life gossiping from their backs. She plagues Panda as Yuuta is talking with someone over the phone, most likely some higher-ups. Being a special grade has its perks for having the permission to talk with their superiors directly.

“Good work, Okkotsu.” the voice from the phone says delightfully. 

Yuuta didn’t say anything after that and ended the call. No room for him to be buddy-buddies on the people who formerly wanted him dead. He’s only following their orders because defeating cursed spirits maintains peace and order in his country, a place he calls home and a place where his precious friends are residing. 

“What a task! Ah, I’m beat!” Panda stretches his arms upwards.

“Salmon.” Inumaki agrees, his eyes are getting sleepy from the lack of rest. They’ve been working for over thirty hours and even though it’s with a rest (they need to eat and clean themselves at some point, returning to Jujutsu High to take a two-hour break and then get back again) it’s still exhausting with all those continuous hunting, running and fighting. 

“How about we go somewhere to eat?” Yuuta suggests cheerfully, wanting to ease the exhaustion from his friends. “My treat!”

Panda and Inumaki look at each other and feel a wave of vitality in their bodies. They cheer before patting Yuuta behind and pushing him forward so that they can get their free lunch. Maki shakes her head and follows them with a smile.

As they walk on the sidewalk, an idea pops in Panda’s mind and gradually pulls Inumaki in his side, allowing Maki and Yuuta to walk next to each other. It works because now Yuuta is talking casually with her and she’s responding to him positively. Just a little more push and Panda can feel that his ship will sail.

“We can get our lunch somewhere else, right?” Panda whispers, winking at Inumaki as he devises his semi-evil plan to abandon and force the two on a date together. It’s not everyday Yuuta is with them and with Maki, now is the chance. 

Inumaki unzips his collar and willingly complies on Panda's plan. He takes a bottle of cough syrup from his pocket and drinks the remaining content.

“Escape!”

“....how about you, Inumaki-kun, Panda-kun, where do you want to eat?” Yuuta looks above his shoulder to check on his friends but finds no one. His eyes flicker, staring at the empty spot where Panda and Inumaki are supposed to be. 

“Eh?”

“Where are they?” Maki turns her eyes to every side but couldn’t find them.  Uhg! I swear those two!  Of course, this will happen, of course, it’s Panda’s fault.  That fool!  She is a hundred percent sure that they left them on purpose.

“So..um,” Yuuta faces her at a slow pace anxiously and... is that sweat pouring down his forehead? “I guess it’s just the two of us?”

Maki chokes and fakes a cough to cover that embarrassing sound that just came from her. 

“Y-yeah,” she says. “Where are you going to take me then?”

It’s now Yuuta’s turn to choke, the only difference is he didn’t try to hide it. He laughs nervously and fishes out his phone to find the best place where to eat around Tokyo. He’s been away for a year and isn’t familiar with the latest trend around the city. Also, this may sound shocking but he’s never been on a date with a woman before (not counting the time he and Rika played as husband and wife in his childhood!) But Yuuta doesn’t want to appear like an idiot who doesn’t know how to treat a woman right.

A message alert pops up from his notification and he reads it: it’s from Panda.

[Panda: enjoy! ʕ◕ᴥ◕＼ʔ]

Yuuta wants to facepalm so badly but couldn’t bring himself to do it, scared that if he did, Maki will take it as a sign of his ignorance to handle a girl. As the strong girl that she is, surely she is attracted to strong guys.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a place.” he hopes that his smile covered most of his visible nervousness. 

Yuuta swipes his phone with such speed. You’re the man! You have to act like it!  He chants inwardly while fiercely searching on the internet, determined to find the best place to bring her. 

But even if there are countless good restaurants he can choose from, Yuuta is still clueless on how to properly execute the act. He slowly breathes out, silencing his racing mind and heartbeat. 

Talk about someone who’s an expert on dealing with women, Yuuta can only think of one person:

His thumb hovers on his phone screen faster than he can breathe and composes a text message:  Gojo-sensei, I need help!

Takeshita Street, Harajuku, 11:37 am

Satoru felt a slight vibration of his phone but ignored it. He can check it later. Those damned higher-ups really need to be reminded to not cross the line. He’s currently taking a short break from work because he wants to personally monitor the improvements of Utahime’s condition ever since he spoke with the child in the Prison Realm. 

To be fair, his hands are also fully occupied courtesy of shopping bags that contain some grocery items and…

“That one!” Utahime nudges him and points at the cute little dress. “That’s the one I saw before!”

Satoru looks at the familiar baby girl dress that hangs in the rack inside the department store. In no time, Utahime brushes it with her palms, gleefully inspecting the adorable little frill design of the dress. He gazes at it, remembering Sairi’s appearance, her smile, and the color of her hair.

“Let’s take it.” Satoru says which earns a concluding stare from Utahime.

“You’re not going to argue with me about the child’s gender?” she quips, noticing how he has become approving whenever she refers to their child as a girl. 

Satoru snickers. “No but if they happen to be a boy then you have to apologize!” he jokes, she frowns.

“How about a bet?” Utahime lifts her chin and dares him.

But he knows it’s going to be a mistake to go against her hunch. “I’m kidding,” he shrugs. “It’s just...you’re her mother and they said mother knows best.”

“That’s so unrelated,” Utahime says flatly, looking back at the dress. “I’m taking this whether you like it or not.” she hmph-ed playfully and takes the dress with the hanger.

Satoru goes after her and calls her to toss his card. Utahime keeps on saying that he doesn’t need to be the one who pays for her and the child’s needs but Satoru always finds a way. Like now, Utahime doesn’t want to take the risk of pissing the other customers off just because they are still arguing who should pay for their daughter’s dress. 

While Utahime is in the queue, Satoru waits near outside the shop. It will take her a couple of minutes before she can purchase the dress so he decides to check his phone. Putting down the shopping bags on his sides, Satoru takes his phone and finds three messages.

One from Megumi, two from Yuuta.

Judging from the times that one of them texted him twice, Satoru thinks that it must be something important. He blinks and just realized that Yuuta also tried to call him once. 

After reading Yuuta’s text message, Satoru almost roared in laughter as if he’s not in a public place. Some shoppers glance in his direction for smirking and chuckling like a goofball. Very soon, he hit the send button after typing his reply. 

Those teenage hormones.

Utahime then catches him smiling from ear to ear facing his phone.  

Satoru looks at her and tries to control his laughter. But he can’t say it in words so he just showed her Yuuta’s text message. Utahime steps closer and reads it carefully.

Now both of them are guffawing at the boy’s concern.

Yuuta’s first text message is a plea for rescue and the second one is the elaborated details on why he needs help. He receives Satoru’s reply after fifteen minutes (but for him it’s like twenty years of waiting) and once he reads it, he wasted no time to get in that place.

Satoru suggests a steakhouse in Ginza, 19 mins away from Shibuya via Ginza line. It’s a high-class Japanese restaurant with a touch of French interior that also serves wine and other alcoholic beverages but both of them are not legal yet so they don’t need to pay attention to that.

Yuuta gulps, maybe the place is a bit over the top.

“Not bad.” Maki says, watching the waiters wearing tuxedos serving the dignified-looking guests. Good thing, their uniforms are at least presentable and that they won't look like beggars among them.

Yuuta then remembers that Maki is from a wealthy family and that places like this seem to be the norm to her. He breathes out, loosening his worries. 

“Let’s get inside.” he motions his hand for her to enter first when he senses the man approaching from his left.

“Yo! Yuuta-kun! Fancy meeting you here!” Satoru’s voice is so loud and shrill, visibly wanting them to take immediate notice of his arrival. He sports round sunglasses paired with an obnoxiously expensive plain black, turtle-neck, long sleeves shirt and denim pants with white rubber shoes. The man may be annoying but they have to agree that he doesn’t look like he’s already 28. 

Both Maki and Yuuta jerks, internally and outwardly panicking because why of all people, Gojo Satoru has seen them together?!

“G-Gojo-sensei,” Yuuta scratches his neck, his eyes asking him what is going on and why is he following him. “W-what are you doing here?” he smiles sheepishly, riding on the lie that was thrown by his sensei. Maki wants the earth to open up and devour her, staying behind Yuuta in a fruitless attempt to hide. 

Yuuta’s eyes shift to the person next to the man and greets Utahime who is also wearing a very casual outfit of a brown v-neck, loose long sleeve dress, and falls past her knees paired with white shoes.

 “Utahime-sensei.”

Satoru convinced her to check how Yuuta is doing with his little date just to spy a bit but lo and behold, they greeted them before they could even enter the place. The last time Utahime checked, spying means you have to conceal your identities. On the flip side, what’s done is done and it will also be hard for them to hide their presence from the students anyway, especially from Yuuta. 

Utahime smiles at them and calls Maki who jumps to her feet after being acknowledged. She feels bad that the teens are feeling edgy so she elbows Satoru simply and whispers that they should not sit near them and respect their privacy. 

“Have fun, the two of you.” Utahime says before pulling Satoru inside on their designated table as they are being assisted by a waiter. Another waiter spoke to Yuuta and also assisted them.

The tall waiter hands them out the menu and Utahime’s eyes bulge out at the prices. When the waiter leaves for a while, giving them time to pick on what to eat, Utahime lowers her voice and concernedly asks if the students - Yuuta in particular, can afford it here. They are still students and even if they earn more money than most of the population of adults, it’s still ridiculous to spend crazy amounts of money on just one meal.

“I’m on it.” Satoru guarantees, flipping his phone and showing her his message.

From the other table across Satoru and Utahime’s, Yuuta reads a text.

[Gojo-sensei: You can put it on my tab, Yuuta-kun.]

[Gojo-sensei: make the Sugawara bloodline proud!

\( ﾟヮﾟ)/ !!!]

Yuuta looks behind stiffly and finds Satoru raising both of his thumbs and grinning before Utahime hisses at him and stops acting like a fool.

“Don’t make them more uncomfortable than they already are!” Utahime hits his arm with the menu book. It won't surprise her if an employee marches at their table and recommends them to sit next to the teenagers just so Satoru can stop. “Let them enjoy,” she glances behind Satoru. “I didn’t know Okkotsu-kun and the older Zenin are….”

“They’re not dating,” Satoru cuts her off. “But Yuuta-kun likes her, obviously.” his pride as a relative emanates from him. “So many approachable women and he chooses Maki.” he laughs without sounds.

“Satoru!” Utahime chides. “Okkotsu-kun has his type, leave him be.” she continues checking the menu with the occasional glimpse at the students’ table. “You’re one to talk.”

“What? At least you are approachable, Utahime.” he snickers. “Maki is different although both of you are tough and yells at us from time to time.” Satoru puts a finger on his chin and thinks about it. Must be something that runs from their blood to be attracted to women who want to choke them to death at some point. 

Well, it’s the challenge that keeps the chase alive, after all.

The waiter returns and takes their orders. A little while later, they ate quietly with random peeking at Yuuta and Maki, craning their necks like excited giraffes and Utahime, despite earlier protests about checking on the teens’ affairs, now willingly joins Satoru to pry on them.

Yuuta did his best not to be bothered by the knowledge that the two adults from behind are watching them like hawks. It doesn’t help when he can feel the penetrating look from them. He can only wonder what they are talking about but certainly, their topic is about them.

“This is good…” Maki comments on the steak. Yuuta’s eyes glimmer.

“Ah, yes. I liked it too,” he says with a smile. “..I’m glad you liked it, Maki.”

Something inside Maki melts after being hit by Yuuta’s kind smile. If cupid is real, he’s dead to her. 

“Shit! I need to hear what they’re talking about.” Satoru groans from their table, pretending he can grow his ears to hear them clearly. Maki never shows that particular reaction to anyone.  Did she just blush???  Satoru is now tempted to crawl going to their table if not because of Utahime's glares.  Yuuta-kun you’re doing great!  He grabs a table napkin and slightly tears up. Utahime wants to punch the lights out of him for overreacting. 

Yuuta starts talking about his travels, particularly his most recent one. He promises Maki that he will bring souvenirs next time he comes home since he was rushed to return to Japan and didn’t have the time to buy some for his friends and everyone. 

While he tells her stories of different places he had been to, Maki listens to him attentively, but silently wishing she is with him during those times for her to see what his eyes see. But she knows it won’t happen so she just imagined herself in those places that Yuuta mentioned.

In the end, Yuuta refused to take Satoru’s offer to pay for their meal but thanked him through a text. It’s his real first date with the girl he likes and although he has to pay for a whole month worth of his allowance, for Yuuta, it’s worth it.

Satoru remembers to read a text from Megumi and promptly tells her that he must go to the hospital where Megumi’s sister is. Utahime understands that he is their legal guardian and that he has responsibility with the siblings. 

She organizes the contents of the shopping bags in the living room and finds a book that Satoru bought earlier. 

“ A father’s guide to raising daughters? ” Utahime reads the title and covers her mouth as she stifles laughter. Maybe she should ask him why he’s now accepting the fact that their child is a girl. 

Once she’s done with the shopping bags, she sets out the foodstuffs in the cabinet and the fridge.

Utahime rests on the couch, picking up the book that Satoru bought, and reads a few pages while she waits for him to return. He was gone for two hours before she heard the main door open and close again.

He treads to the living room where she quietly reads the contents of the book. She looks up and waits for him to say something.

Satoru sits next to her, Utahime observes him.

“What happened?” she asks, anticipating good news.

“Tsumiki,” he begins. “She finally gained consciousness.”

“That's great news!” she cheers, setting aside the book on the center table. But somehow his expression isn’t totally happy. “What’s the matter?”

“Her coma had something to do with that Brain cursed spirit,” he says. “I went to meet the principal before coming back here to talk about it.”

“What?” Utahime narrows her eyes. “What was that cursed spirit planning?” she heard about the incident where a thousand people mysteriously fell into a coma with Megumi’s step-sister being a victim too. 

“Everyone who was in a coma on that day simultaneously woken up when Tsumiki regained her consciousness. Ijichi confirmed this with the other hospitals too. Looks like they’ve been cursed to become weapons or some sorts.”

“Terrible,” she sighs. “thank heavens you freed that thing from Geto’s body otherwise he could have activated that curse and ...everything could have been worse.”

Satoru nods thoughtfully, thinking the same. This just established that  that thing  is back to zero after exchanging bodies from Geto to Tatsuya. It will take him a long time before he returns and the sorcerers will still have more time to prepare and hunt it down before they grow into power again. 

He estimates fifteen years might be enough for Brain to recover and assimilate for his goal. Satoru leans backward and his eyes land on the book on the table.

Utahime follows his eyes and bites the side of her cheek to hide a smile. 

“You still haven’t told me why you….”

“I met her,” Satoru says. “Sairi…in the Prison Realm.”

“Sairi?” her eyebrows twitch.

“The Blessed Child, the daughter of the first Six Eyes user who made a pact with our ancestor and was cursed to die because of his child.” he picks up the book and opens it on the first page. “A portion of her energy was in the box which triggered her manifestation when I got sealed. That’s how I managed to communicate with you from the Realm. We were connected through her.” 

He wonders if this child doesn’t exist - if Utahime and he didn’t accidentally have her, he would be forever stuck in the box and the number of casualties will be tripled.

Utahime places her palm on her belly. “I miss her,” she mumbles. “I stopped having dreams about her since you got sealed in the Prison Realm.”

Satoru glances at her and smiles. “It means she got what she wanted.”

“What does she want then?”

He puts an arm around her and pulls her gently. “I don't know, maybe her parents to get along?”

Utahime rolls eyes but is smiling. “What about the curse?”

Satoru pauses and makes an amused hum. “Since you stopped having dreams about her horrible past life and that you’re in a pretty good condition than before, I think my pep talk with our child was very effective!” he brags like he’s already the best father in the world. 

“What pep talk is this exactly?” Utahime suspects that there is something behind it but Satoru didn’t want to explain. 

In reality, he just wants to save the dreadful past of their daughter’s soul, refusing to tell the detailed story of how Sairi lived her miserable short life and her tragic death. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea to share with her since it might affect her emotions and make her worry that history might repeat itself especially if the curse on him is still on-going. 

“By the way, I asked Yuuta-kun to train her in the future.” he changes the subject matter. 

Utahime did not oppose the idea, showing that she also trusts the boy with the task. Yuuta is a Gojo family relative and it’s only natural if Satoru has faith in him in mentoring their daughter. 

“She’s going to be a great girl,” Utahime beams. “I can feel it.” she doesn’t necessarily expect their daughter to be exceptional in everything. For Utahime, their child doesn’t need to be the strongest or smartest to be great. She could be the simplest child in the world and Utahime would still call her the greatest kid.

“It’s because she’s the daughter of the strongest sorcerer.” Satoru says confidently. 

Utahime scrunches her nose. “No, it’s because she’s mine and because Okkotsu-kun will train her.” she points out, wagging a finger on his face. 

“Aw, Utahime, you’re always against me.” he fakes being affected.

“Just putting you in your place.” she whips her hair and folds her arms.

Their old bantering resurfaces and both of them find themselves enjoying the light-hearted moment. Satoru lays his head on her lap while he reads the book aloud, jesting that he bought it for her because he already knows how to be a good father. Utahime threatens to push him off her lap and Satoru just laughs.

Eventually, they settle in their spots and let the time pass.

Chapter Text

Gojo Family Estate, 4th month of Utahime’s pregnancy, 9:23 am

Their shadows silhouettes on the gloomy corridors to the walls on their right. To their left is a straight line of shoji doors, drawn by the warm sunlight, seemingly endless just like the uneasiness that she feels at the moment. Utahime’s footsteps are light as if careful not to press additional tightness on the air around her. She feels she’s being watched.

Satoru halts on his tracks reaching a tall, ancient, wooden door.

“Do I really have to?” 

A clan meeting was called by Koharu herself. Behind the double doors are the high officials of the Gojo clan. There were originally six key members of the council in the past; Shigeo, who was the father of Tatsuya and the oldest of the siblings that went missing since the incident; Koharu and Satoru’s late father; Masataka, the third son, and the most logical among them; Naomi, the only daughter who probably have more similarities to Satoru’s personality; and the youngest Noboru, who is usually cold and unconcerned.

The last one is the former patriarch and the eldest member of the family, Satoshi. 

Presently, there are remaining four of the older members in addition to Koharu and Satoru.

“You nervous? I’m here! Nothing to worry about.” Satoru pushes down his sunglasses and winks. He wears a light blue kimono, complementing his sky-like eyes and white hair. As for Utahime, she didn’t bother to look for a special kimono just to attend this meeting. She wears her usual white top and red bottom miko outfit that she hasn’t worn in ages. Although she made a few adjustments since her belly is starting to swell by now.

“I want you to hear everything that will be discussed today.”

Utahime is willing to participate because it concerns their child. However, the aura of the mansion is making it difficult for her, and her currently low cursed energy is dragging her down. Satoru told her that it will end in an hour but she doubts it.

He pushes the door open and a concentrated atmosphere meets them. Six heads turned to them synchronously and Satoru flashed them his fakest smile.

“Morning everyone!”

“You’re late.” Koharu speaks from the center of the long oval table. Her left eye has a black eyepatch, a major injury she took from her fight with Mahito. She was lucky to have survived that fight, owing it to the boundless cursed energy that allowed her to heal quicker than normal sorcerers. It was also because the patch faced cursed spirit's main target was Utahime otherwise Koharu wouldn’t have survived the fight. 

Satoru waltzes inside and Utahime tries to not be affected by the number of intense gazes that follow her. She doesn’t like how they, except Koharu, look at her like she is hiding a ticking bomb that will explode at any given moment. 

He pulled a seat for her next to him as he plopped down next to his sister. Koharu tried not to massage her head at her brother’s lack of respect. Then again, there’s nothing new and surprising. Satoru has always been this way even when they were younger and got worse when they grew up.

Utahime warily eyes them, sharp and calculating brown orbs scan the noble Gojo clan elders one by one just to show them that she isn’t intimidated by their courtly vibes.

She feels an assuring hand over hers from the seat’s armrest.

Koharu stands and leans forwards, her palms meeting the wooden surface of the table.

 “We are gathered here today to talk about the future of the Blessed Child, the child of the Six Eyes user.” she glanced at Satoru and then back at the others. “Other than that, our clan is facing a summons from the Jujutsu Higher-ups with regards to Tatsuya’s involvement with the enemy responsible for the Shibuya Incident one month ago. Tatsuya being the member of the Gojo clan knows all of our secrets and according to Satoru, the enemy’s techniques allow them to gain knowledge from their host.” 

The members of the council shift their heads at each other, concerned and disturbed. This just puts them at the highest risk of being the first target of the enemy.

“Uncle Shigeo went missing on the day Tatsuya was possessed. His involvement alone confirms that Shigeo has something to do with the incident as well.” Koharu pauses and looks at her grandfather, hesitant but it is her job as the clan head in-charge. 

 “As stated in the clan’s rules, attacking one family member with killing intent is punishable by death. And as the current head of the family, I proclaim both Shigeo and Tatsuya as traitors not just of the Gojo clan but also of the sorcerer world. They are to be hunted down like criminals as they are no longer protected by our laws.” she tears her gaze from Satoshi who maintained an impassive face, like he already accepted his oldest son’s death sentence, throwing away any sort of affection he had for him. Or if there was any, to begin with.

It takes a few seconds before Koharu continues which causes momentary confusion from the elders. The air around the room became suddenly heavy as the silence filled in.

She looks at Satoru. 

“By the power everyone here vested in me, I hereby declare that my younger brother and heir to the seat of the clan head, Gojo Satoru, will be the clan head in a year from now.”

A collective heave comes from the elders including Utahime. Matter of fact, she has the most shocked reaction among them. She stares at Satoru, goggle-eyed. He had never mentioned her about this decision. So this is one of the reasons why he wants her to be in here today.

Noboru raises a hand and goes directly to the point. “Satoru, if your sudden acceptance of the seat has something to do with the judgment of your child, then-”

“Bullseye!” Satoru cuts in and finger guns his uncle. “To be honest, I have no plans on accepting it for the next three years. I guess having a child changes a man,” he gives him a haughty grin. “But it’s not the only reason.”

“Then tell us,” Naomi speaks. “don’t get the wrong idea, dear nephew, I am in favor of your leadership being the Six Eyes user, it is your right, something we can’t take away from you. But we’re already facing odds with the Jujutsu society because of Shigeo and Tatsuya’s impudence. If the secrets of the Blessed Child come out in the open, it will be the last straw for them to announce an all-out war against the Gojo family.”

"We cannot allow that." Noboru says.

“This should be settled correctly,” Masataka adds. “with all due respect, I would like to open the topic on the child’s judgment. There is no best time to do it than now.”

Utahime hurriedly looks at Satoru to say something in response.  I thought she’ll be judged once she’s born?

“H-Hold on!” she butts in the discussion. No point sitting there without saying something especially when it’s about her child. “This was not what you said before!”

“It’s alright, Utahime.” Satoru says with a smirk. “This is exactly why we’re here.”

Utahime’s eyes widened and now all eyes in the room are at Satoru.

“I am offering you a once in a century bargain.” 

“What are you talking about?” Utahime stands, not understanding anything that he is saying. 

“In exchange for her permission to live, our child will deal with the curse of the clan.”

Mixed reactions come from the elders. Utahime searches for his explanation pronto, demanding why he hasn’t told her about this. There was a fit of outburst from her but Satoru only holds her hand and tells her that everything will be fine.

“What are you proposing, Satoru?” Masataka asks. “are you telling us that the child has the potential to cut off the curse of the heavens?”

“Yes, blessing can cancel curses, and the curse that was put on us, put on the Six Eyes user is a type of curse. It’s not an exemption.”

“You’re being delusional,” Noboru gives him a hard stare. “a clan curse is a different story. It’s a Heavenly Restriction and it is absolute. It is not something that humans like us created and therefore could not be dispelled by a mortal nor a spirit.” he juxtaposes. 

The remaining elders are neither against or in favor of letting the child live. Satoru knows that they are only being cautious, protecting the clan’s name in essence and it is the most important thing for them. All he has to do is to convince them that there is a high possibility that it can work. 

“While it is true that there have been no sorcerers in any records to have eliminated a Heavenly Restriction, perhaps you have thought about this before coming here,” Masataka puts forward, being the logical person that he is. “But know that if we aren’t satisfied with your proposition, the child must die.”

Utahime catches her breath and glares at the man.

“Our child can cancel cursed energy,” Satoru says.

“Exactly why they are dangerous to the sorcerer world.” Noboru answers. 

“Exactly why we should keep them.” 

The atmosphere in the room turns heavier. There is an uncomfortable silence until an adenoidal voice coming from the oldest member of the family is heard.

“Satoru,” 

Satoshi’s hair is winter-white, proof that he had wizened through time. His gunmetal, worn eyes meeting Satoru’s gaze. Every attention in the room falls to him when he speaks, a reminder that he has the most significance in deciding the matter. 

He is almost the same age as Principal Gakuganji, perhaps older. Utahime silently hopes the old man has a deeper understanding not just for the sake of their clan but as a parent and a grandparent. Yet as she gives thoughts about this, she realizes that maybe she’s asking for too much. If this man didn’t bat an eye about his oldest son’s death punishment, there is no place for him to be merciful on a child he hasn’t even met yet, blood relative or not.

“Let us hear your reasonings.” 

Satoru gently tugs Utahime and as she descend back to her seat, Utahime’s gaze at him is palpable. A guarantee that this family will face her wrath without him as an exception if he failed to defend their child.

“If we succeed, the future Six Eyes users will never have to worry about their fate again whether they choose to have a child or not. You see, I am saving not just myself but also the future of our clan. But to do that, the child will undergo training to control their blessed energy as they grow older. The past Blessed Child had no proper mentoring, if they had, it would be in the manuscripts but we found nothing.”

The elders remain listening, an indication that he should continue.

“What I’m proposing is this,” Satoru eyes at everyone furtively. “Once the child reaches the age that they can manifest their energy, I’d like the council to judge them until then.” he glimpses at Utahime and he can tell she is controlling her temper. She has a divided feelings to this and Satoru takes it as her understanding despite the risk.

“And if you failed?” Satoshi asks again which results in startled and baffled sounds coming from the others. Utahime bores her eyes at Satoru once more.

“Then you can kill me,” Satoru states nonchalantly and then leans back comfortably at his seat.  “You can fight me to death before you can kill my child, that is.”

Confrontative sounds flare up from the rest of the elders while Utahime is left stunned and silent at the words Satoru said. Her shoulders droop and she looks at Koharu as if asking for help. It seems that the situation has worsened and Satoru hasn’t left the option of violence against his own family. Now, it clears up that the bargain is one-sided. 

He just want them to let the child live.

“BAHAHAHAHA!”

All of them snap their heads at the old man as he bursts into laughter. His body trembles as he laughs holding his side with one hand while tapping the table with the other. Then almost too soon, he ends it with a cough, clearing his throat as his face returns on the same stony, unreadable front. 

“F-Father?” Masataka’s eyebrow creases.

“Here he goes again.” Naomi relaxes in her seat and checks her nails. A coy smile plays on her lips. This time, Koharu massages her head for real and Noboru lets out a breath.

Satoru shrugs and Utahime looks at him in a daze.  What just happened?

“We will comply with your plan, Satoru.” Satoshi decides.

“But father,” Noboru and Masataka said in unison. 

“Didn’t you hear him?” the old man reasons with a croaky voice. “Satoru is offering us a chance to clear the name of our clan. The mistake of our ancestors and the hundreds generation curse. If his plan works, it will free us. If he fails, he will die with or without all of us going for him because the child will ultimately cause his death. Isn’t that right, grandson?” 

Satoru smirks and nods animatedly.

Utahime looks at him, not knowing if she should be happy for the child or concerned about Satoru.

Satoshi stands, his wrinkled hand reaching the table. “Until the day they can use their blessed energy, they will be judged accordingly. The secret of the family remains a secret. As for Tatsuya and Shigeo, they are to be treated as enemies of this clan. ” he says with finality in his voice before he looks at Koharu who sits on the opposite side of his chair.

The woman stands and faces everyone, contentment on her facade. None of the elders goes against their father’s decision. She nods at both Utahime and Satoru, prompting that they have successfully saved their child for now. They will still have a long way to go, for about five to six years before the final judgment. But presently they can rejoice in undertaking the first bold step. 

 “Meeting is adjourned. Thank you for your participation.”

“I feel conflicted,” 

They walk at a steady pace in the garden of the estate while Satoru talks with their grandfather privately. Koharu stays with her to catch up. They haven’t met since the incident in Shibuya one month ago mostly because of her injuries and commitments as the clan head.

“Satoru has made up his mind. Besides, he’s right.” 

Utahime lets out a sigh and looks around the field where she sees Yoshio playing with a few servants, running and shouting cheerfully.

“My only wish is for our child to live and be happy,” she says. “but not to the expense of Satoru’s life. I feel like...I can’t do something for him.” she remembers him telling about the spirit of the child in the Prison Realm. That time where he promised to lift the curse cast on her as the mother of the Blessed Child. Ever since, Utahime’s health has improved, proving that whatever Satoru talked with the child took an effect.

Both of them are working hard together for her and yet…

Utahime feels weak. How she wishes she can do something for them in return.

“Don’t say that. It is you who saved him. If you didn’t risk yourself back in Shibuya, my brother would rot in that realm.” Koharu says. “And you changed him.”

“Change?” 

They pause and watch Yoshio from a distance. 

“Satoru isn’t someone who will say he is willing to die for the sake of something. Normally he would brag about his strength and one won’t hear him admitting defeat in the face of an enemy. He’s full of himself and is stubborn about change.” 

Utahime wants to ask her about the child in the Prison Realm but she doubts Satoru mentioned it to his sister. She feels like walking on an eggshell every time she brings up that topic and Utahime doesn’t think he would disclose it freely even to Koharu. 

Something might have happened in the realm for him to change his mind.

“I didn’t expect him to take the position this early. But I do believe that it is the best for him. He’s the heir, after all.”

“He’s doing it for you and the child,” Koharu says. “He wants to protect you from the family. They can be rational, yes, but because of what happened to Shigeo and Tatsuya, Satoru would not admit it but I’m guessing it bothers him - that he cannot trust his own family.”

“Has it always been this way?”

“Normally,” Koharu pauses ponderously. “when you are the head of a powerful family, you can’t trust even your blood.”

Utahime reflects on this. A memory of the first Blessed Child being mistreated by her family invades her mind.

“Everything has a price to pay, to say the least.”

“Moooom!” Yoshio comes running holding a baseball bat. “Utahime-san, good morning!”

“Good morning, Yoshio.” Utahime greets the boy back with a smile. 

His eyes shine and look at her swollen belly. “When can I see my cousin? Are they a boy or a girl?” 

Utahime last visited her doctor last week, an obstetrician-gynecologist who happened to be acquainted with Shoko. Her friend also went with her on her visit with Satoru being away for a mission with his students. 

“It’s a girl.” Utahime says helping her hands around her bump.

“Woah!” there’s a slight disappointment in the boy’s face as if he’s expecting it to be a boy. “I hope we can play even though she’s a girl.”

“Of course, you silly.” Koharu pokes her son’s head with her finger. “It doesn’t mean you’re any better even if she’s a girl. Remember, your mother is a woman and you should respect all women,  Gojo Yoshio .” she presses and Utahime laughs, jokingly telling Koharu that there’s no need for her to scold the child just because of that. 

“I know! I know!” Yoshio massages his head “We’ll play Shogi instead! Um, I can’t hit her, right?”

“And why would you hit a girl?” Koharu’s eyebrow twitches, her face darkening.

“N-No! I won’t!” Yoshio waves his hands in defense. “Just saying that we can’t play like uncle Satoru and I do.” he pouts.

“Hmm?” Utahime turns at Koharu. “I thought they play sports, what other games do you play?”

Koharu sighs exasperatedly and starts rambling on the many times Satoru almost endanger her son’s life -  okay,  maybe she was exaggerating since she’s a mother and she doesn’t want her son getting broken bones and bumps and bruises every week but in all honesty not to the point that he blacked out. Although she had once chased Satoru to give him a good beating when Yoshio got bitten by bees and fought animals such as wild boars in exchange of Satoru's amusement when they went hiking last year. Koharu is never the doting mother but she absolutely cares about her son’s well being and safety. The truth is that sometimes, she cannot trust her brother to take good care of Yoshio like a parent would do. She wonders how on earth did Satoru’s students survive his irresponsible ass. It won’t shock her to know if he intentionally left them on a perilous mission while also saying that it’s a low-grade task that they could simply accomplish. That is so like him.

“That’s…” this isn’t news to Utahime but still, she can’t help but feel a slight relief. “I’m glad our child is a girl or I might end up killing him.”

Koharu evokes hearty laughter. The image of Satoru getting squashed by Utahime came to her mind and by golly, it is satisfying. She has never won a spar with him in their youth and she doesn't think someone did. Koharu only wins against him when using her ‘older sister’ card or when she’s schooling him for whatever crap he did in their childhood - which was a plethora of mischievousness that she can’t count with the numbers of her fingers even if she adds her toes.

 It’s amusing to think if their daughter could one day bring him to his knees.

“Have you thought about the child’s name?” Koharu asks.

Utahime cradles her belly affectionately like she would do to the child within her once she’s born. 

“Yes.” her eyes catch an incoming figure of a man and Satoru appears before them.

 He grins at Koharu.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just think that the eyepatch suits you! You look cooler, big sis~” 

“You’re a horrible brother.” 

Utahime smiles watching them throw banters at each other with Yoshio pulling the side of Satoru’s kimono and asking him to play with him later. She can see how he treats his older sister the same as how he treats his colleagues; friendly and playful albeit with noticeable added respect that he doesn’t do with other people. 

From their interactions, it is not difficult to tell that they are the people he considers his family. Utahime then remembers the discussion from earlier.

She silently prays that their child would get to know this small family.

“You never told me about her.”

Satoru looks up at her as he vacuums the floor. 

“Who?”

“Sairi.”

He turns the appliance off and stands straight. Satoru looks at her vividly, wondering why all of a sudden she’s bringing this up.

“Tell me what happened in the realm.” Utahime grimaces, hands akimbo on her sides, and is staring at him as if he did something that offended her ancestors. 

Satoru pulls a face and Utahime raises an eyebrow.

“Just tell me. What happened?”

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because you changed.”

His throat dried up and his face became blank. “Eh, how?”

“Satoru,” Utahime steps forwards. “I don’t mean that you changed for the worse. But I can feel that something within you has changed ever since you got out of that box. Sometimes you’re just….spacing out. You even forgot your lunch several times that Itadori-kun had to get it for you from here no matter how many times I’ve reminded you.”

Utahime made valid points and Satoru knows that this is not another interlude of her randomly becoming emotional because of pregnancy. They stare at each other for a few seconds before he breaks eye contact by swiping his badly-needed-a-haircut hair. 

“I saw her die, twice.” 

Utahime freezes.

His voice was quiet, dull, and unwilling. He had no plans to tell her but denying won’t do him any good. It is difficult to hide something from a woman he shares so many things with.

“I used to think that I know everything and that it is perfectly fine to be selfish,” he begins. “but when I saw her past, her life, it made me realize how small I am as a person.”

Utahime looks apologetic now, just realizing how it might have affected him. “I..I’m sorry, I didn’t…” exorcising cursed spirits, killing their enemies - they are both well associated with violence and death. Even so, the death of the people close to them brought them sadness. People such as Haibara and their past classmates who lost their lives while battling the curses. And to Satoru, who just didn’t kill his best friend once but twice. 

It’s a different thing when it’s a helpless, innocent, girl who happened to share the same soul with their child. It’s like watching your own child die, twice.

Utahime bites her lower lip and holds his arm. “I’m sorry.” she whispers.

Satoru gives her a small smile but it is still laced with sadness.

 “That child is the most selfless person I met. She created the realm to prevent the curse from happening, to prevent the death of her father. She was willing to cage herself in that grim box just to protect him, disregarding her life. That’s wrong, it should be the parents who protect their child.”

Utahime gazes at him solemnly. She can feel the certitude in his words and while she worries about him she also completely understands how he feels.

“I don’t mind dying for our child, you know, Utahime.” he smiles, a genuine but weak one. “but the cycle will just repeat and she will end up dead too. That’s why I want to end it.” 

Satoru cups her cheeks and flashes a conceited grin. “That's why I wont die.” the air between them returns to normal and he continues vacuuming again. She promised herself not to bring that topic again for both of them and no, she refuses to know how exactly the girl died. The image would plague her mind for a long time and it will keep her awake at night. 

Utahime goes to the kitchen and looks for something to eat. She grabs an apple and slices it into pieces and settles in the dining chair, watching him as her mind wanders back to the clan meeting and the curse.

But all she can do is to put her trust in him.

Chapter Text

“What would you do after you give birth?” 

“Drink beer.”

Satoru shoots her a dubious look. “Why am I not surprised?”

They are in his favorite sushi restaurant, Sushi-Go, after Utahime complains that there is nothing in their fridge she wants to eat. Satoru also invited his students to join them. Yuuji and Nobara arrive together while Megumi says he will be late for a bit but will soon follow. He could’ve invited Yuuta too but he already left the country earlier today to continue the rest of his travels.

Utahime and Nobara are having a girl talk, mostly about anything that concerns women. It hasn’t been too long since Satoru broke the news to his students about Utahime’s pregnancy and as expected, Megumi was the only one not surprised. Whereas Nobara and Yuuji shriek with utter disbelief that it took them two days to accept that it wasn’t a prank.

“Sensei,” 

Satoru drinks from a canned beer. The malted liquor flowing down his throat.

“Yes, Yuuji-kun?”

“Is it true that..you are going to leave Jujutsu High in a year?” he asks not hiding the sadness in his tone.

The man chuckles. Looks like Yaga announced it sooner than expected. Judging from the look Yuuji is giving him, he can guess what the boy is concerned about.

“Nanami is there, he can guide you better than I do.” he puts down the can of beer and shakes it lightly. 

“The higher-ups know your value now, Yuuji-kun, that you are the perfect vessel for Sukuna. I assure you they won’t be on your arse for good, just show them your good behavior.” 

Yuuji’s efforts in the last major incident are fortunately recognized by the higher-ups thanks to Satoru’s persistence. Now that Yuuji’s case is slowly getting better, Satoru thinks it is also the best time for him to let go of teaching and focus on his new goals.

The teen looks at him vacantly and stumbles for words.

“Sensei, I owe you a lot!” Yuuji blurts out loud enough to take Nobara and Utahime’s attention as well. “If not because of you.. I would have been dead already...”

“Yuuji-kun, don’t be so dramatic now,” Satoru sniggers. “I still have a year to guide the three of you.”

“Itadori-kun just wants to express his appreciation, you idiot,” Utahime interjects, poking his arm. “Geez, you’re so dense.”

“I know that, Utahime! but I did it because I want to and I believe in my students’ potential.” he defends.

“That doesn’t justify why you won’t just let the boy express his gratitude!”

Yuuji now feels guilty because it seems that he started a debate between the adults. Soon enough, the two are bickering about the topic with Utahime lecturing him that it is better for young ones to freely convey their feelings and thoughts, may it be positive or negative, and that he should learn from Yuuji. Satoru giggles, saying she will be an outstanding mother whereas Utahime criticizes him that he should take her seriously (she can bet that he wasn’t even listening at all)

Their argument stops when Megumi arrives. He sits next to Yuuji and Nobara’s side.

“Sorry, I went to the hospital to visit Tsumiki and met with Maki before coming here.”

“Eh? Maki-senpai?” Nobara looks at him. “Something wrong?” 

“It’s about the boy we saved in the incident.”

“Is this the same boy you talked about last time?” Utahime asks.

“Boy?” Satoru turns to Megumi. 

“The deaths of his parents in Shibuya sets off his innate talent to see spirits and is having a hard time dealing with it. Maki and I talked with his grandmother and convinced her that we can guide the child if she permits it.” 

“How old is he?” Satoru inquires.

“Two years. Too young for him to have enough understanding.”

“That’s going to be tough.”  and that’s so rare for a two-year-old, is the child that skilled?  he muses. A brush of death or witnessing a traumatic event can trigger a temporary skill to see spirits but it should not be longer than an hour. If this certain boy can permanently see spirits at such a very young age, with no proper background or guidance from sorcerers, that could be a problem.

“Sensei, I was going to tell you about Rui but..” Megumi glances at Utahime in regards.

“I know you’ve been busy with your personal life. Maki and I are doing our best and she’s also making efforts to consult with the Zenin family in regards to this.”

“Nah it’s fine. I would like to meet this child too.”

Something in Satoru is greatly intrigued with this boy and for some reason, he has a hunch that he will be important in the future.

A little later and their dinner was served. They shared a lively conversation about everything under then take group pictures and it was hilarious with Nobara keeps on whining that Megumi isn’t smiling enough so that they have to take another shot until they end up having twenty pictures. 

Overall, it was a pleasant dinner.

Early Spring 2019, Hinokicho Park 

Some leaves have fallen from the trees but the park remains as beautiful as it is. Hinokicho Park is a place where parents need not worry about their children getting bored as they have their dates. Tall cypress trees tower over the visitors, mostly families rather than couples. There is a wide children’s play area, pond, and a small beautiful wisteria tunnel amidst the gardens.

Normally, they would have strolled in the morning but today is rather special not that Utahime knows the reason why.

Satoru has been acting a little bit strange lately but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly is going on. Utahime sought Shoko to give her opinion, whether she was just being paranoid or it is the hormones to blame (yet again) or that her suspicions are valid and that Satoru is definitely hiding something away from her but alas, even Shoko seems to avoid her. Her friend gave her a snort and a smile that is so cryptic, Utahime is on the brink of losing her hair with what is happening in the people around them. Satoru’s students are also acting fidgety recently, tensed at her mere presence and she wonders if she did something that offended them. But Utahime is sure that she always treats them with kindness and gentleness like a mother would. Heck, she’s always been so nice to the students, reminding them to prioritize their safety over missions.

“You’re overanalyzing it, Utahime.” Satoru says in between laughs as they walk around the park. “my students are just busy, that’s all.”

But she isn't satisfied with this. There is no doubt in her mind that they are hiding secrets behind her knowledge.

“I am not!” she insists. “And you too! You thought I wouldn’t notice?” she points a finger at him accusingly. 

“Meeeee?” he steps sideways and looks at her behind his sunglasses. It’s so damn obvious he’s denying it.

“I can feel it, you are hiding something!” she purses her lips and marches forward leaving him behind. How dare he deny it to her face and make it seem that she’s just being paranoid. He may be hard to read at times but she can’t be mistaking it this time. 

There are a few people near them that overheard the on-going lovers quarrel and Satoru clears his throat before following her, refusing to be branded as a horrible man who picks fights with a pregnant woman. 

“Utahime, wait!” he catches up to her as they approach the magnificent wisteria tunnel. A cluster of blue and violet flowers starting to bloom from the trellises. 

“Utahime,” Satoru walks next to her, holding out his hand for her to hold. 

Utahime groans and slaps it away, saying she won’t hold hands with him until he tells her what he is hiding. She prattles on and on up until Satoru decides to just grab her hand as they continue going inside the flower tunnel.

“Satoru! I’m telling you to….!  huh ?”

She takes her hand back, feeling a round metallic object that Satoru slips in her ring finger.

“What do you say?” he turns to her and pockets both of his hands, a winsome smile graces his lips. 

“Marry me?”

In Utahime’s left ring finger is a three-carat diamond ring, brilliantly sparkling. Its ethereal beauty makes her stare in wonder. 

Utahime then gapes next at him, awestruck, and he waits for her answer. But she got overwhelmed with emotions and tears started to fall from her eyes.

Satoru jumps to his feet.  Are you kidding me?!  A look of panic all over his face, checking around if the people are watching. He expected her to be happy and not this.  Is marrying me that horrendous for her that she started crying?

She sniffs and mumbles unclear words in between sobs that Satoru has no idea what she is talking about. He can guess that it's about how disgusted she is at him, that he went from annoying her for more than a decade to asking her if she wants to be his wife. 

He calms down when Utahime tugs the front of his jacket with both hands and buries her face in it. Satoru sighs in relief and caresses her hair before he plants a chaste kiss on her forehead.

“I take it as a ‘yes’ then?” he whispers.

Utahime nods multiple times and wipes her tears with the back of her hands, still unable to speak after the surprising proposal.

They walk hand in hand after that but the confirmation of their engagement didn’t end Satoru’s teasing. If Utahime is to be asked, she’s certain there’s simply no end to it. Since then and forever.

“Utahime is such a crybaby~”

A sound of a hand slapping an arm and Satoru’s ‘ow!’ is heard as they go.

May 7, 2019  

“You fool!”

 Koharu rages from the other line. The woman is presently out of the country for a business-related matter and won’t be there to assist them in the meantime.

Satoru just receives a message from Shoko that Utahime is about to give birth any minute by now. The thing is, he was in the middle of a mission outside the city and once he’s informed, he frantically calls Nanami to finish his task. Nanami has been considerate to take the remaining tasks and shooed him back to Tokyo. Before Satoru goes, the man even congratulates him and wishes for Utahime’s fast recovery.

“It is your wife’s due this month and you didn’t even file a vacation leave in advance?!” the woman angrily shouts via phone call. This would have not happened if she’s there. Bonus: she would personally tackle her brother if he leaves Utahime’s side in this condition. 

There’s a sudden influx of cursed spirits recently leaving Satoru and the rest of the sorcerers very busy this season. He and Utahime guess it also has something to do with the child being born. Satoru uses this to reason with his sister but Koharu asserts that it is exactly why he should be there for her.

Satoru just chased the next train back to Tokyo. After two hours of travel, he sprints all the way from the station to the streets, running around like a headless chicken ignoring the number of calls he’s receiving at the moment. 

In the middle of the streets, he looks up and sees the darkening of clouds. Satoru is then reminded of the day the first Blessed Child was born.

When he reaches a particular spot, he uses his teleportation technique, transporting him to the hospital. But what he did not expect is his cursed energy getting interrupted in the process, sending him to fall in a flight of stairs, ass first. The nurses gawk at him, startled by a tall man descending from the ceiling.

Satoru grunts and stumbles as he stands. Great, now he cannot feel his cursed energy anymore. Looks like he just received another curse of being the first one to have a taste of his child’s blessed power. 

“Iori—” he limps toward the nurse’s station and the lady is still staring at him because of two reasons; 

1. She wants to ask him where he came from.

2. She wants to ask for his number.

“I mean, Gojo Utahime.”

“Ah!” the nurse types on her computer quickly, searching for the records of the patients in the hospital. 

“Room 503.”

Satoru thanked her and hurriedly left going to the fifth floor of the hospital, scampering through the long corridors of white walls and several rooms. He feels like he’s forever running, heart ramming in his chest at both excitement and anticipation. 

“Sensei!”

Yuuji stands from a white bench on the side with Nobara jumping next to him. Hearing his friends, Megumi scoots from the corner holding three cans of drink for everyone.

Shoko informed him that his students are on their way to the hospital as well. Knowing they also came from a mission, Satoru feels grateful for their moral support.

“She’s so cute!” Nobara gushes.

“She looks so delicate. I'm scared to touch her.” Yuuji says worriedly, mimicking a child who wants to hold a fragile flower but is afraid he might break it. They were among the first people to have a glimpse of the child along Shoko and Utahime.

Megumi puts down the drinks on the bench and pulls his friends. 

“It’s sensei’s turn now to see his daughter now.”

Satoru smiles ruffles their hair one by one. “Good work, kids.” then walk past them and go to the other room. He takes a deep breath before pushing the door lightly.

Satoru pokes his head inside then sees a nurse placing a bundle wrapped in a soft white and pink blanket in Utahime’s arms carefully. 

His wife smiles at the newborn, her focus solely on the bundle of joy in her arms before she takes a notice of him. The nurse excuses herself to give them privacy but not without congratulating them before she’s completely out of the room. 

Satoru gazes at his wife and child.

“She got your hair.” Utahime coos and gently touches the baby with her finger. 

“Satoru, look,” she says without looking at him but he didn't move from his spot, standing there as he turned into a statue.

Utahime lifts her head to look at her husband and is astonished to see him tearing up.

“Are you crying?”

Satoru isn’t aware of his emotions but he is sure it’s a lot. He swallows loudly and turns around to remove his sunglasses and rubs his tears away with the front of his shirt. Utahime never saw him getting emotional and vulnerable over anything so it came as a pleasant surprise to see him tearing up because of happiness beyond words. 

Maybe crying has long been associated with weakness but scratch that, words are not enough to describe how he feels. 

He walks towards them and catches sight of white hair and small, curled hands behind the blanket. The baby, as if sensing her father’s attendance, opens her eyes showing amber eyes, a lighter version of her mother’s. 

“She got your eyes.” Satoru’s voice is cracking as though he would break into crying again. If not because of her still recovering body, Utahime would have laughed out loud at his reaction. 

Satoru sits on the edge of the bed and together they share a quiet companionship while observing their daughter.

He loves her eyes, the opposite of his. His eyes are like the heavens while hers are like the earth. For Utahime, her favorite is the way the baby’s hair is tinted with both of their hair colors.

The door opens again and two women enter.

“Gojo! goodness, I’m glad you’re here now.” Shoko comes over. She went to the doctor who’s in-charge of Utahime and Satoru thanked her for all her help when he was away.

“It’s my duty, no need to thank me.” Shoko smiles at them and proceeds to talk to Utahime reminding her that she needs more rest.

“Excuse me,” the nurse who is with Shoko speaks.

“Oh right,” Shoko almost forgot and introduced her. “she’s here to take the baby’s name.”

Utahime looks at him and as if on cue, Satoru tells them their chosen name for their daughter. 

“Gojo Sairi.”

Chapter Text

Three years later

It doesn’t matter if it’s a mother or a father. 

Having a child is a life-changing decision and experience for both of her parents. In her toddler years, Sairi is just a normal kid; playing, asking questions, eating, sleeping, making her parents especially her mother run around the house because of an unidentified object she puts in her mouth. Utahime prays to whoever Kami up there that it isn’t something poisonous which might be the case most of the time.

 Sairi’s mother is an amazing woman; responsible, gentle and knows what she’s doing in raising her. While her father doubts himself if he’s doing it right or he’s just scared that his wife will break his neck had he fuck it up. 

“Why does daddy wear socks around his eyes?” 

Three-year-old Sairi asks one night in her pink jammies with strawberry print and Utahime reading a children’s book for her. Parenting has no manual so Utahime’s only source of tips and tricks to make her daughter sleep is the internet. The rest is through actual experience and the people around her which are, honestly, scarcely knowledgeable on the topic. Koharu has been a supportive sister in law, telling her what to do on so many things with regards to motherhood. But she also told her that the rest is up to her. 

Unfortunately, the reading-bedtime-story-for-your-child-to-make-them-fall-asleep doesn’t seem to work on Sairi.

“It’s called blindfold.” Utahime combs her soft, white hair with a brush. Sairi’s bob cut hair makes her face round and cute with her dusty pink cheeks and amber eyes. 

“But why is he wearing that?” she tilts her head on the side.

“Because he sees something that normal people aren’t supposed to see.” Utahime answers her truthfully. Both Satoru and her are sorcerers and from that, there’s simply just no way they could hide it away from her even at her very young age. There will come a time that she would manifest her unique energy and that she would be able to see what they are seeing.

“Like...underwear?” the girl stares innocently.

Utahime chokes unceremoniously. Sairi has always been a curious child, then again, most children in their developing years have plenty of questions about the world they live in. Her questions range from harmless  ‘is the moon made from cheese?’ while saying both cheese and the moon have craters or something shocking such as ‘why can’t daddy sleep on my bed so I can sleep on yours?’  when she wants to sleep next to her mother. It resulted in her parents letting her sleep between them and Satoru waking up on the floor.

There was also a time where Sairi asked her mother some borderline unsettling, like when they brought her to a zoo and she pointed out that every animal has tails and thus questioned them  ‘mommy, where’s my tail?’

“It’s the spirits.” Utahime tucks her in bed. It’s already 9 pm, a bit late for her sleeping time. 

“Spirits?” 

“And energy,” she places a hand on her white, silvery head. “One day you’ll be able to see them and when you do, you should tell me right away or to your daddy.”

“Can I be friends with them?”

Utahime wants to say ‘no’ but she’s very much aware that in doing so, the child’s string of questions won’t end until daybreak of the next day. 

“Sairi, it’s time to sleep.” the woman wraps her in the warm comforter and gently smiles. “Tomorrow, mom will be busy. Don’t give Mio too much trouble, okay?” Mio is their daughter’s retainer, a young responsible woman whom Koharu personally hired to look for Sairi when both of her parents are working. Satoru has been pretty much occupied every day by his duties as the clan head and other business-related things while Utahime decided to return to teaching temporarily in Tokyo Jujutsu High. She and Satoru had long been committed to being hands-on parents, spending more time with their daughter as much as possible to guide her properly no matter how busy they are. 

“Owkayy.” comes a reply from the child.

 “But mommy, when can I have a friend?”

That question was what pushed Satoru and Utahime to enroll Sairi in a daycare center. Living in the Gojo estate far from the city metro and without children that she can play with, they have decided that she should mingle with kids like her and not just with adults. Yoshio can’t be counted as a kid anymore since he started entering junior high. The cousins have a good relationship with Yoshio often playing with Sairi in his idle time but still, it would be different and deemed important for Sairi to meet children in her age group.

Utahime researched for the best daycare and she found one not so far from the Jujutsu High location and personally surveyed the center. 

And it was perfect. 

Everything was organized; the location was safe, they offered healthy snacks for the kids and the caretakers are well-trained and well-mannered. Without further ado, she and Satoru enrolled their child in there.

Two weeks later and it was going great. 

Not until....

It was an ordinary day in the daycare center. There were twelve children in total with Sairi spending six hours together every Monday to Thursday. Different children mean different upbringing and personalities and with that, having a few bullies here and there is pretty much normal. Children are children and they aren’t aware of their foolishness. 

With a mother like Utahime, Sairi’s attitude is supposed to be unquestionable. She was taught to have manners (something that her father lacked) and to respect the elders around her (again, something that her father lacked) Her way of talking is carefully guided, not forgetting honorifics when talking to someone older than her.

“Look at her hair! What was that?” the group of boys, not younger than five make fun of her strange hair. White-hair was uncommon  which caused Sairi to stand out among the children in the room.

She normally ignores these kinds of annoyances. Keeping her focus solely on making friends and playing and overall enjoying her time in the daycare just as what her parents want her to do. But when the boy felt pathetic to be ignored over and over, he purposely spilled milk on Sairi’s favorite coloring book and well, it was such a mistake.

“My mother told me to not waste food,” 

It was lunchtime and the children were served onigiri, crab salad, and fresh fruit juice.

The boy and other children around him look at Sairi, crumpling a piece of onigiri in her fist and standing next to him.

“So?” the boy snorts. In his mind, he knows he’s being confronted by the girl. But for what purpose, he doesn’t know. 

“I’m full,” Sairi deadpans. Her eyes are blank and no one can read what she is thinking. Other children are glancing at them while the others are quietly eating their lunch.

“That’s why you can have mine.”

“Huh? Wha--”

Faster than he could blink, Sairi shoved the entire onigiri in the boy’s mouth. The impact of her small fist smacking her bully’s mouth throws the boy on the floor gagging and crying. The other boys gasped, falling backward in fear on the little girl.

“It tastes that good that you cried?” 

“Mommy! Daddy!! Uwaaahh!!!” the boy ran away and promised to never bother her again.

Utahime never thought that something like that would happen. A wave of worry filled her. What if the other children feared Sairi and refused to be friends with her? What if their daughter became as weird as her father? She told Satoru about this on the night she was called by the daycare center.

“She got it from you, Utahime.” Satoru chuckles while they are having dinner. It’s around 10 pm as the man routinely finishes his work late at night and their daughter is already sleeping.

Utahime stammers wanting to defend herself. But she thinks he’s right about that.

The next incident is a bit worse. 

Okay, saying  a bit  is an understatement. It’s way worse.

Because in the next incident, the head of the daycare center urgently and demandingly requested both of her parents' presence after Sairi gave out toothpaste cookies specifically to the group of boys that bullied her. Utahime had to pinch Satoru from his back to stop from laughing his head off, apologizing to the daycare center head for her daughter’s (and also husband’s) behavior.

Utahime had no idea how a three-year-old girl pulled a prank like that, filling an oreo cookie with toothpaste and giving it out to the other kids. Now she knows where that tube of toothpaste in their bathroom went. 

Satoru tried so hard to stand upright, holding his stomach for his uncontrollable laughter because of his daughter’s wicked trick. 

They are talking outside the center deciding what to do with their kid. 

“Now this is what she got from you!” Utahime nagged and sighed. “You should talk to her, I don’t want her to grow up like you!”

Satoru wiped the tears that came out from the corner of his eyes due to too much laughing. He turns to his wife once he collects himself.

“Sairi didn’t do it because she wants to. It’s because she wants to serve justice to those bullies. I’m surprised the daycare head didn’t mention anything about disciplining those kids but instead went to call us because our child reacted to the bullying.”

Utahime mulls over this and thinks that her husband is right. At least Sairi didn’t do it for enjoyment. Unlike someone she knows and someone she married. 

“Still, we need to talk to her that bullying cannot be solved by another bullying.” 

Satoru knows where she is coming from and agrees to her request for him to talk with their child about it.

“Fine, I’ll talk to her.”

The next day, Satoru brought Sairi to an amusement park. Just the two of them so that the child won’t feel that she’s being castigated by both of her parents. 

It was a day well spent and the father and daughter had so much fun.

So much fun that Satoru forgot to talk about it.

Gojo Family Library, Spring Time, 3:20 pm

“Natural life is cyclical. The sun rises in the morning and fades into the night in the evening. One season gives way to the next. Over the passage of time, new generations are born and old ones die. This is the cycle of life and death and rebirth doesn't always happen. Not everything that dies is given a chance to live again. If so, it only means that—”

“YUUUTA-SENSEIII!!!!”

Yuuta’s concentration dissipates into thin air when the massive door of the library flies open followed by the sounds of footfalls scuttling towards him as the daughter of the Gojo clan head barges inside, with her arms flailing, wearing a red-pink kimono with plum blossom print. She has a red bow tied at the back of her head. Her attendant, Mio, pushes the door for her to enter (because a child of that size couldn’t actually push a heavy metal door all by herself)

“Look! Look!” her high-pitched voice and excitement demand the twenty-year-old young man’s attention. Sairi places down three rocks on the table next to his laptop.

Yuuta peers at the rocks to inspect them but no matter how much he tries, he can’t find anything in particular behind those rocks.

“Oh...pebbles.”

Rough, grayish-white, and hard. Just plain looking, normal pebbles. Yuuta didn’t give much thought to why the girl showed it to him. Every child has their quirks and most of the time they outgrow them. Yuuta considers himself very introverted when he was a child and even he had some moments of peculiarity in his childhood (not counting the time he cursed his childhood sweetheart) so he doesn't find it weird especially at Sairi’s age to develop some sort of a habit.

The three-year-old girl crawled up to the chair beside him. Yuuta let her play with her precious rocks and continue his reading. He’d been researching a lot about reincarnation and blessed energy for the past three years. His sources mostly came from his travels, the girl’s history, and observing Sairi. So far, he hasn’t seen anything offbeat from the child although he has to admit that she’s way too energetic for a normal girl but he’s also not an expert when it comes to children’s behavior so Yuuta just brushed off the idea and continue to do his task as Sairi’s master. 

As per Satoru’s request to the Jujutsu higher-ups, Yuuta was released to his duties to travel and collect information concerning different cursed techniques. The process of convincing the old hags was long and tough and Satoru took immense patience to avoid the itch of murdering them but increasing the budget support to the school from the Gojo clan was what ultimately persuaded them. Satoru believes that the geezers are wary of them because the biggest threat in the sorcerer world was a part of the Gojo clan. In this matter, Utahime thinks that the higher-ups have a point and that what they have to do is to try to get along with them rather than opposing them. Satoru considered his wife’s suggestion and by good fortune, it worked.

Sairi glances at him and the laptop screen. She makes faces seeing that the screen is just a pure wall of text. Not a picture in sight that catches kids’ eyes instantly since the little girl cannot read yet. 

Her curiosity lands on Yuuta's phone which is sitting next to the laptop. Out of curiosity, Sairi nonchalantly jabs the screen with her finger and instantly, it glows, revealing Yuuta’s phone wallpaper.

On the screen is Yuuta together with a green-haired girl, both smiling and facing the camera. The background suggests that the picture was taken inside Tokyo Disneyland because they are both wearing Mickey Mouse headbands and the famous Disney castle behind. 

They both look so good and happy together.

“Sensei, who’s this?” she pipes, staring at the wallpaper.

Yuuta turns his head at the girl. “She’s Maki. Don’t you remember her? I brought her with me to your birthday party last year.” 

Sairi puts her fist over her cheek, a developing thinking habit, and continuously stares at the picture. 

“Oooh! Scary woman! I remember her!” she says.

Yuuta almost cracks up at her choice of words to describe Maki. Indeed, she has a snobbish presence but in truth, Maki has grown a soft spot for children from the day she and Megumi teamed up to mentor a boy. 

“Sairi-chan, you don’t need to call me sensei. I’m not a teacher and you’re my only student.” he says.

Sairi scrutinizes him, amber eyes glowing. “Uncle Yuuta?”

Yuuta puts a hand over his chin and thinks about this. It is also unfitting for the girl to call him that. They are relatives but neither of them knows their exact blood relations. 

He sighs.

“Okay, you can call me sensei.” he gives her a head pat and smiles.

Sairi nods happily and makes sounds of approval before she pokes her head between his chest and the laptop, crawling over his lap.

“Whatchu reading sensei?” 

Yuuta jerks. Well, it’s not that she can read it, right?

He lifts the girl and places her on his lap to sit properly. “It’s a research that Gojo-sensei asked me to do.”

“Dad?” she squeaks. “What is it about?” 

An average three-year-old asks 400 questions a day but in Sairi’s case, Yuuta swears it’s around 600. 

Her attention switches to the door where her caretaker is standing attentively. Sairi’s eyes flutter and her nose scrunches, a facial expression that everyone reminds of her mother. She turns her small body towards the door while tugging Yuuta’s shirt.

“He's coming!” she booms.

Just as she said, Gojo Satoru emerges from the door. He wears a dark blue, venerable kimono, partnered by black haori and his trademark blindfold. Sairi’s caretaker bows deeply to greet the Gojo clan head.

“Daaaddyy!” the little girl jumps off and bounces to launch herself at her father like a mini human tornado, raising both arms gleefully.

“How are you my little firecracker?” Satoru catches her with ease and hoists her with one arm.

“You didn’t give your sensei too much trouble?”

“Noooo,” Sairi shakes her head. “I’m a good girl.”

Yuuta nods at the man.

“How is it going, Yuuta-kun?” Satoru approaches Yuuta with Sairi in his arms. But the girl decides to dive with her head first on the table. Good thing Satoru’s reflexes are excellent and that he is so used to his daughter’s feral nature otherwise he would have to face his wife’s wrath for letting their child get a gigantic lump by slamming her head on the edge of the wooden table. 

The last time he and Utahime got into a fight was when he accidentally lost Sairi in a crowd while the two of them were shopping. In his defense, it was not entirely his fault because something colorful, probably a balloon or a banner, caught his daughter’s attention and raced to it. Satoru is not able to sense his daughter despite her easily sensing him wherever he goes. Likely due to the curse. 

Luckily for him, Sairi returned after fifteen minutes and asked him if he was sick because all the colors of his face faded as an image of Utahime filing a divorce papers crossed his mind.

“Daddy! I took these.” Sairi takes the three rocks she found earlier from the table and shows them to her father proudly. She told him that he can have one, another one for her Yuuta-sensei and then for her.

Satoru inspects the rock from her small hand. “Ohh, a rock,” he says simply. “my sweet daughter giving me additional paperweight for my useless paperwork.” 

“Nooo! not pepper weight!” Sairi pouts.

“It’s paper,  sweetie.” 

Satoru turns to Yuuta as if asking him why his daughter is playing rocks.

“Um, t-those are Sairi-chan's pebbles.” Yuuta answers his unspoken question but really, there is no proper explanation for that.

Satoru gives him a nod then glances over his shoulder to talk to his daughter’s caretaker. 

“Mio, can you please take Sairi outside?” he pinches Sairi’s cheek lightly. “I need to talk about something with Yuuta-sensei, okay?” 

The girl is busy with her pebbles and didn’t rattle on for another round of whys and whats. Satoru puts her down and Sairi runs outside to play with Mio.

Once the double doors are shut closed. Yuuta stands from his seat. 

“I think I’m getting closer to my conclusion.”

Satoru gives him his full attention. 

“It’s like what you theorized before,” Yuuta gestures at the laptop screen. “the blessed energy has something to do with the cycle of rebirth. All we need to do is to ensure that she surpasses her former self and fully control her energy.”

“Is there a way to know if the curse is cut off?” Satoru comes closer, looking at the screen. 

“There is,” his expression mixed with hesitation and trouble. “If she...if you’re still alive by the age her former self has died.”

The older of the two hums. “I see. So it’s a continuous battle of surpassing one’s self.”  both for the Six Eyes user and the Blessed Child. He says inwardly. 

“That means we still have twelve years.” Satoru initially spoke with him about the life of the former Blessed Child and that she died at the age of fourteen. Meaning, they have twelve more years to end the curse of the Six Eyes user. 

“This is very challenging,” Satoru says. “It’s like I have a terminal illness for twelve years before the doctor could find out if I will continue to live or not.” he snorts at his statement.

“I will do my best, sensei.” 

Satoru beams. “You’re already doing great. It’s not easy to search for something unique. Sairi is the only soul in the world who can oppose the cursed energy and she is the only one who has the chance to cancel the clan curse.” if it’s a matter of beating one’s self, then all their efforts make sense. 

“You know how anti-venoms are made from from the venom itself.” Satoru logicizes. “that’s what we’re doing.”

Twelve years seems to be a long time but they only have one shot and if they fail - that will be the end of it. Yuuta tenses at this thought but Satoru assures him that he’s doing good. As expected, he’s never wrong about his students. 

“Something here is bugging me,” Yuuta points a finger at the screen where a diagram of the connections between birth-death-rebirth cycles that he accumulated throughout the years of research is shown. He scrolls down and a figure of the Wheel of Life shows up. “this one.”

“An anchor?” Satoru pulls down his blindfold to see it better.

“Is it?” Yuuta squints at the screen. The image’s capture is over a thousand years old and quite hard to decipher. “An anchor?” to him, the very small and fuzzy detail in the picture appears to be a coma and it bothers him since it’s in between the three cycles, meaning this aspect is present in the whole sequence.

The Six Eyes can see it clearly and Satoru finally understands. 

After Sairi was born, he went to check Megumi’s concern - a boy named Okami Rui. It took one look for Satoru’s Six Eyes to identify who and what the boy is. He almost retained the same features; steely emerald eyes and the same face and even his aura are all the same.

It is beyond question, Okami Rui is the reincarnation of past Sairi’s friend and the one who killed her.

 His very existence is concluding proof that the cycle of the curse is still present. As per natural order, if Sairi caused Satoru’s death, she will be once again killed by the anchor thus preventing her life to continue after she fulfilled her fate and the cycle will repeat after a hundred years.

“It basically means ‘cease’,” Satoru says. “Anchors are used to stop a ship’s movement. The circle of life and rebirth is like a continuous motion like a ship in the ocean.”

“This means the anchor’s purpose is to restart the sequence?” Yuuta concludes. 

Satoru hums.

“Then…” Yuuta ruminates. “could it be a person?

“Yes.” 

He may seem to have accurate guesses most of the time but Satoru doesn’t want to risk the boy of his suspicions hence he didn’t tell anyone. But now that he has strong evidence of this assumption, he decides to tell Yuuta.

“W-what?” he silently hopes that it's a joke. He pauses for a second and waits but it didn’t come. “Rui-kun?” mentally, he’s rejecting the idea that Maki and Megumi are taking care of Sairi’s potential future killer but the realization that his sensei isn’t messing up soon dawned on him when he finds no humor within Satoru's stance.

“I don’t want anyone to assume that the boy has antagonistic nature. It is the curse that caused him to do it."

Yuuta breathes from his nose feeling the weight of his responsibility. It goes without saying that Sairi should surpass her former self through his teachings with their theory to be proven correct. Or else…

“Heard the boy is doing great.” Satoru states.

“Megumi and Maki are handling him personally.”

“Hm, there’s also a shortage of Jujutsu High teachers nowadays, I’m sure everyone is trying their best.”

“Sensei,” Yuuta hesitates for a second but continues anyway. “aren’t you worried…?”

“I sure am,” Satoru smiles. “But we should focus on what we can control.”

Yuuta nods at this and closes his laptop.

“Anyway, Yuuta-kun,” Satoru gives him a confused look. “what’s with those pebbles?” 

Yuuta shrugs. “I.. really don’t know. She seems to be enjoying it and as long as it’s not harmful, I didn’t bother to stop her.”

Satoru supposes it might be a habit of her former self. Maybe one’s soul doesn’t forget itself no matter what’s the era. 

Gojo Estate, 3pm

The family lives in a mansion separated from the main house but still inside the Gojo estate. Her parents unanimously made up their minds to withdraw her from the daycare center before her terrorizing turns unstoppable and so Sairi goes back to playing around all by herself. 

Sairi watches the ants closely with a magnifying glass and observes their habitat. 

“Sairi-chan,” Yuuta calls her from behind as he  approaches.

The girl turns her head and greets him cheerfully. “Sensei!”

“What are you doing?” the young man bends down to see what she’s up to.

“I’m looking for shiny objects,” Sairi says. 

“Shiny?”

“Mhm!” she pulls out the rock she saw last day from her pocket and shows it to him. “Like this one!” 

Yuuta stares at the rock and picks up a random stone from the area. “What’s the difference between this and that?”

Sairi’s eyes widens and looks at him oddly. “This one is shiny,” she points at her rock. “This one is not.” she pokes at the rock on Yuuta’s palm.

She’s starting to see the energy around her.  Yuuta deduces. It might be faint and bleary that Sairi can only find it through random things but it’s starting to manifest without a doubt.

A muffled crackling sound from the grass catches his attention and Sairi’s caretaker arrives with a notice.

“Okkotsu-san, Fushiguro Megumi-san is here.” Mio informs.

Yuuta’s eyebrows shot up and before he could open his mouth to say a word, he saw Megumi coming nearer. 

Next to him is Rui.

“Senpai, sorry for suddenly visiting without-” Megumi trails off, discerning a distinct look from Yuuta’s face. He appears to have seen a headless person in front of him.

“Senpai?”

“Oh.” Yuuta breaks his thoughts and looks at Rui. The five-year-old grins at him.

“Yuuta-sensei, hello.”

The boy’s presence grabs Sairi’s awareness. She rises to meet their visitors.

“Big brother Megumi!” she runs and jumps to greet him and Megumi gives her a gentle tap on the head.

Sairi then looks at the emerald-eyed boy straight in the eyes and gives him a delighted grin.

“I’m Sairi!”

Rui glances at his sensei for a second of uncertainty. Megumi nods in response encouraging him to introduce himself as well. 

“I’m Rui.”

Chapter Text

…You’re my only friend and I want to show it to you…

“Look at these!” 

Sairi shows the boy a portion of her ‘shiny objects’ collection excitedly. It is placed inside a small red container alongside a few other toys. 

The kids are brought indoors in Sairi’s playroom after their senseis go to the main house to meet with the Gojo clan head and discuss an important matter. 

….Maybe in another life…

“Have we met before?” the boy asks with an impassive face. There is something in him that makes the adults wonder. Megumi regards him as an adult in the body of a child. Rui is a boy who is pretty mature for his age.

Sairi looks at him and shakes her head, her hair bouncing on her cheeks. 

“Noooo,” 

Rui’s gaze falls at the rocks on her palms and finds nothing special on it. He didn’t say a thing and only watched as the little girl plops on the tatami floor and runs her mouth talking about the different colors she can see within the rocks like it’s nobody’s business. The boy, having been guided by Maki and Megumi, knows better than to interrupt when someone is talking. He stands there, both bemused and uninterested in the rocks.

“You’re not shadowy.” 

Rui blinks. “Huh?”

Sairi blinks back with her doll-like eyes as she can see the faint aura she’s starting to see around the sorcerers in their household. 

“Daddy, mommy, and sensei have this big shadow around them all the time. It’s creepy. Especially Dad! Some people have it too but it’s not too shadowy.” she says with her high-pitched voice. 

“You mean cursed energy?” 

“Energy?” Sairi looks up and remembers her mother talking about it. ”

Rui sits in front of her on the tatami mat and gazes at the rocks. He can see cursed energy around him despite not having any but Megumi says he’s still young to exhibit it. But he cannot see anything like that from the girl's rocks.

“Sairi,” Utahime appears from the doorway and pauses. “Rui-kun,” she smiles at the children. “it’s a good thing Megumi-kun tagged you along with him. Sairi, have you introduced yourself properly to Rui-kun?” 

“Yeeees! I showed him my toys.” the girl says raising her arms, grinning widely. Behind her is a big box of different toys that her mother always reminds her to put in order. Utahime is a very organized person and she wants her daughter to be responsible for her things at an early age. What she’s unaware of is that Sairi is talking about a different kind of toys.

“Good afternoon, Utahime-sensei.” the boy addresses the woman in courtesy.

Mio enters carrying a tray of snacks for the children. Rui feels shy to join Sairi’s snack time but Utahime urges him kindly and says that they have prepared an extra just for him and that he has nothing to be shy of. 

She observes the children as they eat, Sairi mostly takes pieces of strawberries and kiwis while Rui takes polite bites in the sandwich. The more she looks at Rui, the more she feels that she has met him somewhere before. Utahime first met the boy when Megumi brought him to Jujutsu High. Since then, she has the impression that the boy is familiar.

Maybe I’m just thinking too much ...she can guarantee that if Satoru can hear her thoughts, he would say the same thing. Utahime listens as Sairi shows Rui her pop-up books and accompanies the children.

Satoru’s eyebrow twitches in interest and makes a contemplative hum. 

“I see. Does Rui-kun know he’s a relative of yours?” 

“I haven’t told him yet.” Megumi says, sitting on the other side of Satoru’s office table. Their speculation about the boy’s ancestry has been proven right after Maki and Megumi decide to research the Okami family. “Maki said his mother, the one who was a Zenin, is an illegitimate child from the branch family. Rui is pretty much still close to us when it comes to blood relations. It could be that his mother is another case of someone who does not possess cursed energy just like many members of the clan.”

Yuuta who is sitting on the table right in front of Megumi silently listens and lifts his head to glance at Satoru. 

“Just like how I found Yuuta-kun,” Satoru notes. “If the kid has closer blood ties with you, you should tell him the soonest. He has no other family than his father’s side, right?” 

“Yes..but..” Megumi falters and shifts his gaze below.

“Oh right!” Satoru laughs, realizing why Megumi is unenthusiastic about the idea. “Not like the Zenin will accept him since you said that the boy won’t likely develop possessing cursed energy. But you should tell him anyway,” he advises. “even I had to tell Yuuta-kun that he’s distantly related to me so that he won’t wonder why he has those kinds of abilities.”

Yuuta nods at Megumi. “It doesn’t matter if the Zenin won’t accept him. He has his own identity and he has you and Maki.” the Gojo clan may have their moments of untamed cruelty in the past but it has been subdued as time goes by for the most part since Koharu passed the leadership to Satoru. The Gojo clan in the present welcomes a long-lost relative given that their numbers aren’t as big as the other two great clans.

Megumi dips his head in acceptance of their suggestion. 

“So Megumi, what is it?” Satoru prods, setting aside some documents that sit on his desk. He doesn’t think that Megumi goes all the way here for something that he could easily talk through a phone. 

“It’s about the influx of cursed spirits in the country particularly in Tokyo,” Megumi says. “the Jujutsu Higher-ups are planning to have an investigation. It’s been three years and the sorcerers are starting to get exhausted with the ceaseless missions.”

Satoru leans backward, not surprised by this concern coming from the higher-ups. Three years since Sairi was born and the re-altered world since she existed is beginning to collect the payment for allowing her to live. It’s like that time in the Keicho era where there were endless wars and natural calamities which pushed the former Six Eyes user to work his ass off in exchange for his power and child. 

“Sensei, we need your assistance,” Megumi says quietly. “I know your hands are full at the moment but.. with just your presence, those cursed spirits….”

“Haha, I know, Megumi,” Satoru waves a hand. He did not entirely stop taking missions. He still does but not as frequently as in the past. “I’ve maxed out the funds for the school from our family’s piggy bank but looks like it isn’t helping. In that case, I have to step in. We have no choice.”

Aside from the Gojo clan and Okkotsu Yuuta who is considered and technically a family member, only Ieri Shoko, and Masamichi Yaga know about the curse of the Six Eyes and Sairi’s effect on the shift of their reality. If the Jujutsu Higher-ups are making a move to investigate, more likely than not, they will find out that the spike of cursed entities is connected with his daughter’s existence which can cause an uncalled war between their clan and the sorcerers. 

Satoru has decided, he has to step in before the situation worsens.

Jujutsu High Clinic

 “They can’t do this!” Utahime angrily declares. Shoko is equally bothered as her.

It has come to their knowledge that the Jujutsu Higher-ups have decided to release Muta Kokichi from his three-years of unconsciousness. 

“Utahime,” Shoko tries to console her friend. “believe me, Principal Yaga and I are on your side. But...it’s been three years.”

Utahime turns and faces her. She can see the truth in Shoko’s eyes and they both know a day like this would come eventually. 

He remains motionless from the day Satoru’s students brought him to the clinic. His body has lost mass and his skin is pale. His vitals are stable but there is no telling if he would wake up again. 

“The chances are slim to none.” Shoko tells her honestly. Knowing how Utahime cares for her students, she knows she won’t take it lightly.

Utahime looks at his form and sighs. She takes a few minutes, sauntering back and forth with her arms crossed on her chest and her head down. It is a matter of life and death and it will never be easy.

“Let me just...call the others.” Utahime takes her phone and goes outside. Shoko understands and gives her some space to think about it. 

Outside, Miwa is with Sairi, staring off in the distance on the school grounds. They sit under a big sakura tree in full bloom.  

“Big sis,” the girl looks up at her. “are you sad?” there’s a worry in Sairi’s tone, noticing the sadness in Miwa’s eyes.

Miwa fakes a gentle smile and trails the girl’s hair with her fingertips. “I’m fine, Sairi-chan.”

“Are you sure?” 

It makes it hard for her to deny the little girl’s empathy. How Miwa wishes she didn't need to lie and tell her that she’s really fine.

“I’m not,” Miwa sighs. “I’m worried about him.”

“Him? sleeping dude?”

“Dude?” Miwa is taken aback by her words. Neither of Sairi’s parents uses that. She briefly wonders where she learned it.

“Miwa,” Utahime approaches. 

The young woman raises her head to meet her gaze and she instantly knows what the concern is. 

Utahime informs her of Kokichi’s condition and the higher up’s decision to give him up. The woman is regretful, knowing she cannot do anything for him and doesn’t want to give her false hopes when Shoko confirmed that his chances of waking up are now slim to none. Miwa, despite the pain, wants to learn how to accept it. After their conversation, Utahime phoned the others from Kyoto and asked them to go to Tokyo to officially say goodbye to their classmate and friend.

Mournfully, Miwa enters his room and sits next to his bed. She can still remember the day he professed his love for her. His undying loyalty that she willingly returned by waiting for three long years until he wakes up. Miwa had been visiting him without fail thrice every month, not minding to travel from Kyoto to Tokyo just so she could see him and that she can witness once he opened his eyes again.

Which won’t be happening anymore.

“It’s been three years,” Miwa tears up, staring at the only man in the world who could have loved her more than his own life. Tears fell from her eyes. “You told me to be happy, but how can I?” her shoulders trembled and she couldn’t take it anymore. Miwa cries her heart out as she holds Kokichi’s hand, whispering things she regrets the most. She’s been curious about him for so long and wished nothing but to meet him personally but Miwa did not expect that upon seeing his true self, it would also be the last time she could see him.

Sairi is supposed to be with her mother but curiosity gets in her way of thinking and she bounces inside the room, pushing the door carelessly, and jumps at Miwa after seeing her tearing up.

“Big sister, why are you crying?” the girl reaches for Miwa’s face, her small hands trying to wipe the tears on her eyes. Miwa leans down and hug her. She feels bad for taking the kid as a distraction not to sob loudly but she’s also glad that Sairi is there to comfort her. 

Miwa gathers all the strength  to convince herself and let him go but it’s so difficult for her particularly when she waits and hopes for so long.

Eventually, she stopped crying, for now, and tells Sairi that she’ll be back after washing her face in the washroom. 

Sairi pouts looking at the sleeping man in the bed. A kid like her is small in stature so she couldn’t see him clearly without anyone lifting her. 

“Did you make her cry?” she innocently asks and climbs the chair. 

“Big sis Miwa is sad because of you,” she says with a sad pout. “I don’t want her to be sad!” 

Getting no response and nothing at all, Sairi decides to pull his hand attempting to wake him up.

“Wakey wakey! Why are you always sleeping?” 

“Sairi, what is-” 

Miwa screamed as soon as she witnessed a blinding fiery gold light that spiraled in the room. It is so bright that it could damage her eyes yet she also feels the warmth and assurance from that light. She covered her eyes with her arm and desperately called for Sairi.

“SAIRI-CHAN!”

Her shouts immediately brought Utahime’s attention from outside while she was talking with Mai over the phone. The woman dashes rapidly and pushes the door wide open. 

Oh God no.

Utahime knows that the time has come.

“MIWA! GET BACK! DON’T TOUCH HER ENERGY!” 

A bolt of fear and confusion crawls onto Miwa’s system and steps backward to avoid the spiraling golden energy. Inside it are Sairi and Kokichi.

Utahime does not know what to do. She can’t touch her and she can’t stop her energy flow either. In doing so, she would only risk herself and everyone around them. All she could do is to watch her daughter be consumed by the blessed energy. 

What am I going to do?!  In panic and fright, she considers calling onto her husband but stops herself from doing so.  No, the curse!  Utahime shuts her eyes closed. Bringing Satoru in a place where there’s an uncontrollable streaming blessed energy and with the context of the curse of the Six Eyes, she would only take him in death’s door. 

The thought of losing both her daughter and husband horrifies her. 

When suddenly…

A boy comes sprinting into the room. Ignoring the flowing energy around, the boy leaps and yanks Sairi’s floating body inside the ball of gold energy and it disappears. Rui falls on the cold floor back first and Sairi on top of him.

“Rui! Where are you-” Megumi then next arrives running down the hallway. He stops and stares at the terrified Utahime. “Sensei, what happened?” dazed, he looks inside the room quickly and finds the children on top of each other with Rui fidgeting as Sairi sleeps on him.

“Rui!” Megumi lifts Sairi and helps the boy to stand. The girl has been knocked out for whatever reason. “What happened?” 

Utahime, getting back on her senses, takes her daughter from Megumi’s arms carefully and tries to wake her up.  Miwa then also takes part in waking Sairi while Megumi asks Rui what happened.

“I heard they were screaming,” the boy says, massaging the back of his head after hitting it on the floor. “so I went here and..”

“Fushiguro-kun, Rui-kun did nothing wrong.” Utahime chips in, cradling her daughter. “he was just…” out of words and explanations because she can’t really tell him that her child has an energy that could flip them upside down. Satoru and his family have sworn to never tell additional people to know the clan’s secret. “they were playing, that’s all.”

Miwa clears her throat but says nothing. 

Megumi of course did not entirely believe it. Knowing the boy, he doubts Rui would play with the little girl and accidentally knock her out.

“Uhn,” the girl grunts and opens her eyes. “Mommy?”

Utahime has never been so grateful when her daughter wakes up again. She heaves a mighty sigh of relief and hugs her tight and excuses herself and tells Miwa that they will talk tomorrow about Kokichi before leaving in a haste with Sairi in her arms. 

Miwa and Megumi look at each other with complete confusion but Megumi remembers that Rui needs to tend his bump and proceeds to the clinic.

Now, Miwa is left alone in Kokichi’s room. 

“What was that?” she asks no one in particular, shutting the door closed and leaning to it. Clearly that was a moment of great confusion.

She walks closer to Kokichi’s bed and stares at him while her thoughts are still on the mysterious energy that encircled him coming from Sairi and the way Utahime avoided to explain the whole thing.

While Utahime’s warning from earlier not to touch the child’s energy rewinds in her mind, Miwa’s side vision catches a few movements from Kokichi’s fingers.

“Huh?” her eyes turn at him.

“Oh, I’m imagining thi-” 

It moves again and Miwa gasps loudly and whips her head around to stare at his fingers. 

And there, it is indeed moving.

“M-Mechamaru!” 

Yuuta saw it coming but it didn’t occur to him that it will happen this fast. Utahime confides with him on what happened in the Jujutsu clinic. 

“It was for the best that you didn’t call for sensei,” the young man says. “he would rush to you in no time.” even though Satoru is aware of the danger, there’s no telling that a husband and a father won’t come to his family regardless of it. Rational people make irrational choices when their beloved is at stake and Yuuta is very much knowledgeable about this. 

They are talking near the doorway of Sairi’s bedroom with the door half open. Presently, the girl is busy playing with the doll that her aunt Shoko gave to her alongside other stuffed toys that her parents have provided. 

“Rui-kun who doesn’t have cursed energy is not affected by her blessed energy.” Utahime says, peeking at her daughter inside the room. 

It all makes sense. 

Presuming the ‘anchor’ is supposed to kill the Blessed Child, he must not be influenced by her blessed energy. 

“Okkotsu-kun,” Utahime has a pleading look on her face. “Please, I’m leaving her to your care.”

“I’ll look for her personally starting tomorrow,” Yuuta assures her. An idea has been built in his mind how he could handle Sairi’s energy and it should be proven the soonest. 

While they are talking, Satoru practically materializes in front of them. He’s in a real hurry after receiving Utahime’s phone call after she and Sairi got back home. 

Satoru and Yuuta talked for a couple of minutes before the young man took his leave and told them he will return tomorrow and start the training with Sairi.

“Daddy?” Sairi notices her parents whispering outside her room and as usual, her father’s presence takes her notice. “when are we going to the playground again?” 

Satoru grins at his child. “When do you want?”

Utahime feels like her stomach is in knots as her husband holds their daughter. It feels so wrong for her to feel this way but she can’t help but worry. She watches them from the doorway, her gaze mixed with affection and concern. 

“..can Rui join us too?” the girl lays down, hugging her strawberry plushie close to her chest as her father stoops down next to her bed.

“We should ask Megumi first because he’s his guardian.”

“Where are his mommy and daddy?” 

Satoru pauses and gently smiles. “You see Sairi, not all children have parents. That’s why you should be a good girl.”

“I’m a good girl!” Sairi says passionately. 

“You sure are,” Satoru tickles her sides and her giggles echoes in the room. “that’s why tomorrow you’ll start training with Yuuta-sensei and you will listen to him, okay?” 

“Training?” the child flashes him a look of wonder. 

“It’s how to control your energy, you know the thing you see from me?”

Sairi stares at her father with wide eyes. “The shadow? I have shadow too?”

Satoru nods. “Yes but yours is…” he pauses again. “different. Because you are special.”

A part of him wavers for explaining this to his child. Sairi is just three, too young to comprehend the extent of her blessed energy and the fact that it opposes their cursed energy. As much as possible, Satoru wants her to enjoy her childhood but with the awakening of her power this early, they will have no other choice but to put her under training pronto.

“If you didn’t learn how to properly use it, it can be dangerous.” he carefully says. Both cursed and blessed energies have the same concept when they resurface anyway; learn how to control it. And both are going to be extremely dangerous when it’s uncontrolled. 

Satoru doesn’t think his daughter fully understands what he’s saying but Sairi listens to him. Soon, she falls asleep and her door closes with a soft click.

Once in their bedroom, Utahime leans near the windows silently observing while her husband changes his clothes to a plain white shirt. 

“You alright?” Satoru asks stupidly, sensing her apprehension.

Utahime frowns.

“Our daughter had a moment of uncontrollable energy, of course, I am absolutely, fully and completely NOT okay!” she replies in annoyance.

Utahime’s frown changed to agitation and sadness. 

“I couldn’t do anything,” her voice is breaking. “I wanted to take her away from that mass of energy, I wanted to save her from herself but…” Utahime is on the verge of tears when Satoru comes over.

“Utahime, there are things that we sorcerers aren’t able to do. But trust me, all Sairi has to learn is to control it.” 

Utahime looks at him. “I was so scared…”

“I’d be scared shitless too if I saw my three-year-old child floating in the air like that.” 

She punches his arm lightly for taking everything as a joke.

“Hey,” Satoru cups her face and leans forwards, pressing their foreheads together. “it will be fine.”

Utahime closes her eyes and drowns in his touch.

"I just want you and our daughter's safety…" she places her hands on his face lightly. "I'm not asking for anything else in my life."

Satoru smiles and brushes the tips of their noses. He had vowed not just to Utahime but to himself to be a responsible husband and father when they got married and he had no second thought that he would make it a reality.

He could remember that day vividly in his memory. It wasn’t a lavish ceremony unlike the previous heirs of their family. Instead of inviting noblemen and women, Satoru together with his then-wife-to-be has decided to invite only the people closest to them, mostly from Jujutsu High composed of their former students and colleagues. He did not, for all that he knows, dream to one day get married and have a family but he is more than glad to find comfort and solace in his life now that he has them. 

It is something he will never regret. 

“Same goes for me.” 

He mumbles back before their lips meet in gentle caress and feel each other’s warmth, enveloping them.

In the morning, Satoru woke up before her. Although most of the time it is Utahime who’s usually up earlier. 

Satoru stares at his lovely wife’s tranquil sleeping face. The corner of his lips turns up as he lies on his side, arm angled upwards, head on hand. He takes his phone from the bedside table and captures a few pictures of Utahime while smirking to himself. It is a quirk he developed throughout the years.

“Daddy?”

“WOAH!” 

Satoru nearly jumped at the squeaky voice of his daughter. Not being able to sense her presence because of the curse might kill him due to a heart attack one day, ultimately fulfilling the curse. 

His head snaps at Sairi who is still in her pajamas, hair in various states of messy, clutching her ragdoll.

“Whatchu doing with mommy?” 

Satoru places a finger between his lips nervously, signaling her to stay quiet. Sairi chuckles and jumps in the bed between her parents which wakes up her mother.

“Mhmm,” Utahime opens her eyes and finds their daughter wrestling her father.

“Good morning my baby~ why are you up so early?” Satoru asks his child and then turns at his wife. “Good morning my wife~”

“Morning,” Utahime sighs and watches them lovingly. 

Sairi settles on her father’s chest face down and giggles. Her doll on Satoru’s head. 

“Sairi, your daddy needs to work,” Utahime sits up and takes their daughter, and places her next to her. 

“Do you have a meeting today?” the woman asks while her husband is in the process of standing up. 

“Ah, yes. Is that black kimono ready?” Satoru replies. He isn’t fond of long meetings and just the thought of it exhausts him but he has no excuse to not attend it when he’s no less than the head of the clan. 

“Yes, let me get it for you,” Utahime moves to help him find the black kimono he normally wears during meetings and opens a wardrobe closet where all of Satoru’s clothes are hanged neatly. Behind her, Satoru and Sairi are murmuring and laughing at each other about something. They can be like that at times with Sairi’s squeals that are more effective than any alarm clock. 

Satoru then goes to the bathroom to take a shower as Utahime readies his clothes. 

Sairi eyes at her father’s phone and jabs its screen, showing a picture where she’s in her mother’s arms. Utahime’s face is somewhere in the middle of scolding her while also finding it funny how her daughter looks.

It was taken during her birthday party where most of her visitors were his parents’ friends and students. In the picture, Sairi’s face is graced by a chunk of icing from her cake after she dived into it, tarnishing the intricate decoration of flowers and other cute objects that were placed on it. Good thing, Yuuji (who happened to be the one closest to her at that time) was quick to scoop her from the cake, or else she would’ve landed with her entire body. As the oh-so-responsible-father that he is, Satoru took a picture of her after Yuuji transferred her to her mother’s arms. 

“Mommy, daddy is taking a picture of you,” Sairi reveals and chuckles.

“He what?” Utahime turns to her daughter. 

“This! This!” Sairi hands her the phone and Utahime takes it while humming. 

She glances in the direction of their bathroom to make sure Satoru is still showering. Knowing the password, she easily unlocked it, eyebrow-raising amusedly as her thumb hovers onto his gallery folder where she finds a gazillion of stolen pictures of her and Sairi. The pictures were taken either in their most embarrassing appearance or positions.

“Bastard,” she mutters.

“What’s a bastard?”

Utahime’s hand flies on her chest, entirely forgetting that her daughter is just next to her. She settles her racing heartbeat and sighs.

“It’s a word we don’t tell anyone...” she twiddles Sairi’s hair and gives her a crooked smile.

Sairi looks at her innocently and then at the bathroom door. “But you just call daddy a bastard…”

Utahime side-eyes, now sweating. Sairi is a little too sharp for her age and it’s not helping this time.

“Uh, it’s because...we love each other! and, and...” Utahime’s pathetic attempt to cover up. She swears she wants to take back her word from earlier but it’s too late. Sometimes it's hard to pose as a role-model mother especially for a daughter like Sairi who has keen senses and is curious about everything around her. 

“Now hurry, let’s prepare breakfast. Okkotsu-sensei is coming over this morning.” diverting her child's attention because she can't be feeding her with lies so early in the morning, Utahime takes her small hands and brings her to the kitchen to watch her prepare breakfast. 

After the family ate together, it’s time for Satoru to suffer - a.k.a to go to the meeting.

“Listen to Yuuta-sensei lessons today, okay?” Satoru pinches her cheeks delicately. Utahime is behind Sairi, also ready to leave any minute to have lessons in Jujutsu High. 

“Yeeeees!” Sairi nods with full enthusiasm. 

“Alright,” Satoru looks at his wife. “See you tonight.” he winks.

“See you.” Utahime responds with a smile.

Sairi watches his departing back but not without forgetting the thing her mother taught her from earlier; a word they say if they love someone;

“Bye bastard!” 

Chapter Text

“...by weaponizing your daughter?”

From Satoru’s viewpoint, it sounds like a rhetorical question and doesn’t need to be answered. 

The board meeting composed of several business heads owned by the Gojo clan together with the clan council, finished ahead of time, which means Satoru still have a minute to relax and be alone, contemplate on a couple of issues and other happenings in and out of the sorcerer society and responsibilities in their clan. Much to his dismay, his grandfather asked (more like cornered if he’s being totally honest) to have a private talk with him.

A strange, unwelcome air has been always present between the two of them and it never fades. 

They are in the conference room with Satoru sitting across the table on the opposite side where Satoshi is. Low light and stunned silence as their only companions.

“Is that a question?” he raises a teacup on his lips with a mocking smile. “because I could answer that.”

Satoshi stares at him sternly.

“I am no you,  grandfather . I don’t intend to throw my child into a battle and let her die there.”

The old man chuckles humbly as a memory in the past - the day he delivered his second son into his death came rushing back to his mind. 

Satoru lifts his chin and continues. “Well, you aren’t entirely wrong about that.” he puts down the cup gently onto the table. “I won’t sugarcoat the term you used but if weaponizing her skills could save my daughter and her future, I suppose we should aim for that.”

“A bold move and I’d say unpredictable too,” Satoshi says. “this is a matter of longevity for our clan and you only have one shot to do this. None of us knows when that enemy, the one who took Tatsuya’s body will return. If you failed, you’re going to die.”

“It’s funny you know,” Satoru gives him a firm look. “when a parent thinks of prestige and power more than the life of their child.”

He isn’t playing with the old man. Satoru wants him to think about his words rather than his actions. He wants him to look at himself in the mirror and question if they are the same. Maybe he and his father didn’t get along but that does not excuse the madness that could have been avoided had Satoshi changed his mind before sending Satoru's father into that battle. Long story short, it was Satoshi's fault, something that the old man never regretted. 

It is no secret that the council is treating him special because he has the Six Eyes, the crowning glory of the clan, and the reason why they rose into power. They want to retain it and the same goes for his life. That’s why the council is keeping their eyes on the greatest threat of his existence - his own daughter.

“I highly suggest we mind our business.” Satoru rises. “Noooow~ if you’ll excuse me. If you truly are concerned about this clan you might as well let me do my job. I still have a mountain of paperwork on my table.” he turns his back and walks away, not sparing to look over his shoulder.

“Satoru,” the man calls. “and I suggest...that you’d be wary of your actions.” a forewarning.

Satoru pauses shortly before exiting the room completely. 

Huh, so annoying . He takes a deep breath as he walks into the corridors of the mansion.  Can’t he just give me a damn break?  

But Satoru can’t lie to himself. Behind his brashness, there is a tiny part of him that worries about this. They are dealing with something that no one in the entire history of the sorcerer world has dealt with before. There is no guarantee for them to succeed, just chances.

He stops and stares at the quaint garden near the place when he receives a phone call from Utahime. 

Satoru receives news he did not expect to hear today or ever. Such as Muta Kokichi waking up from his long three years of deep slumber. 

“Huh?” it comes as a shock to each and every one of them. 

“Do you think Sairi have caused this?” Utahime asks from the other line inside the empty faculty room. The Kyoto Jujutsu High people have arrived and they are presently in Kokichi’s room, all of them who have expected and prepared themselves to say goodbye to their friend but now they are talking about throwing the biggest party for this miraculous event. 

“Definitely,” Satoru replies. “her blessed energy must have disrupted the Heavenly Restrictions in Kokichi after their energy contact. What was Sairi doing when it happened?”

“Miwa said she was...trying to console her. Then she went to the washroom leaving Sairi for a while and when she came back, it happened.”

“Hmm,” Satoru puts his thumb under his chin in regards. He has all the knowledge about her past self and might as well reminisce on it. “But this is good news. That means our chances of dispelling my curse have gotten higher!” he grins. “and of course, Kokichi has gained consciousness.”

“Yes,” Utahime smiles in relief as if a huge boulder that was on her chest has been lifted. “So is everything alright with Sairi? How is Okkotsu-kun doing with her training?”

“Eh, I haven’t checked them yet. But I’m sure Yuuta-kun can handle it. Don’t worry!” 

Okkotsu Yuuta, a distant relative of the Gojo clan, a descendant of one of the Three Great Sorcerers, Sugawara no Michizane, direct descendant of a former Gojo clan head who assisted in the creation of the Prison Realm, youngest of the four Special Grade sorcerers, once put in execution for severely injuring his classmates in junior high due to his immense cursed energy, mentored by the strongest sorcerer, Gojo Satoru himself, once dominated all of the Kyoto students in the 2017 Goodwill event, defeated another Special Grade sorcerer, Suguru Geto—

“Uwaaaaahh!!!!”

—now babysitting a three-year-old girl.

With a background like that, it’s beyond doubt that Yuuta would be the perfect person to handle the Blessed Child. But for a twenty-year-old young man like him, it would be a challenge to take care, moreso, to train a three-year-old child.

Yuuta tries his best to cheer Sairi up as the little girl continues her intensely loud crying that could wake the entire graveyard. Presently they are in the Gojo estate training field, an open ground specifically for developing one’s skills, and Sairi’s ear-splitting wailing enters solely in Yuuta’s ears.

The reason?

To avoid the girl canceling his cursed energy, Yuuta resorted to using a copied cursed technique as a cover. He wanted to test if his conclusion would be proven right and decided to use Megumi’s divine dog. 

He summoned the copy of Megumi’s white divine dog and Sairi got excited seeing the large, fluffy animal that she instantly jumped to hug it. The result would be obvious by now.

The divine dog disappeared after she unintentionally canceled it, bringing the child to burst into tears thinking that she had ‘killed’ it.

“Sairi-chan,” Yuuta kneels in front of the child anxiously. “you didn’t kill it.”

Tears welling up from the corner of her eyes.

“But...doggo...poofed.”

Yuuta makes hand seals summon the white dog again. It appears behind him wagging its tail as it sits.

“Doggo!” Sairi runs towards it and pauses and turns back at Yuuta with a troubled face. Her eyes are wide as a saucer showing fear. Fear that she might hurt it or ‘kill’ it again. 

“See?” Yuuta smiles comfortingly. “Sairi-chan, your energy can cancel cursed energy. Now the first thing you should learn is how to control it.”

“Cancel?” the girl snuffles. “I-I can hurt them?”

“You can,” he answers truthfully. “this is why I’m here, to prevent it from happening.” 

This somehow saddens the little girl. She looks at him with pure guilt and then at the  doggo .

“What if I hurt you sensei?” Sairi steps back. “I-I don’t want to hurt anyone!” and once again she unleashes an unstoppable sonorous crying and wailing.

Yuuta sighs in defeat. The first step is always the hardest and training a three-year-old girl surely makes it a different level of hard. Maybe he can talk to her about it step by step, slowly and categorically. He’s dealing with a child and he starts thinking he treat it that way.

“Okay, okay,” he holds the child and wipes her tears gently with his hands. “Do you want ice cream, Sairi-chan?” 

The girl abruptly halts from her crying and looks at him with tearful eyes. “Ice cwim?”

He nods. “We’ll take a break for now then I’ll tell you more about your energy while we eat ice cream, how about that?”

Sairi gives thought about this and slowly nods. Yuuta takes his hanky and the girl uses it to blow her nose after crying. He then carries her to the parking lot and ask one of the drivers to take them to the city metro to buy ‘ice cwim’

They walk around the bustling streets, her small hands in his and looks for a good ice cream shop when he receives a call.

“Itadori?”

“Senpai, sorry I know it’s your off today but uh,” Yuuji is interrupted by Nobara’s yelling from behind.

“ITADORI ASSIST ME HERE DAMMIT!”

Yuuta slightly pulls the phone away from his ear and swallows. He's soon to hit a quota on 'today's girl screeches'. “are you guys on a mission?”

“Yeah, we’re here for over 24 hours and-” there’s another scream from either Nobara or another sorcerer and then a banging sound. Yuuta waits patiently from the other line for Yuuji to continue.

“We are told to- EHHHH?! Kugisaki are you trying to kill me?!” Yuuji screams when one of Nobara’s techniques almost hit him.

“JUST TELL HIM WE NEED HELP WHAT THE HELL!”

Yuuta straightens up, alarmed. “What is it? Are you dealing with a special grade curse?”

“We’ve been ordered to contact you to substitute me. Sukuna’s presence seems to worsen the influx and also, there’s this ominous cursed energy in the area that we want to check- KUGISAKI WATCH OUT!”

A thunderous smashing sound is heard in the background.

Sorcerer duty calls. Yuuta sighs and looks at Sairi. He needs to go there and check what’s going on but he also has the responsibility to take care of the child. But since it is Itadori whom he is going to substitute, maybe it wouldn’t be much of a problem. 

“Itadori, can you meet me at this address? I’ll text it to you then I’ll substitute you.”

Later, Yuuji arrived in the place Yuuta told him to meet with them.

“Sairi-chan!”

“Big brother Yuuji!” 

Sairi jumps to him gleefully. Yuuji catches her and rubs his cheek onto hers like a puppy. Yuuta laughs softly and asks the other young man to look for Sairi while he assists the others in their mission.

“No worries! Sairi-chan and I will have a great time together, riiiiiight?” 

“Yeeeees!” Sairi throws her hands upwards in emphasis. The girl has a close relationship with her father’s former students and Yuuta has nothing to be worried about. Yuuji, Megumi, and Nobara used to change her diapers and look for her when Utahime was going for some errands when she was very little. There is also an inside joke between the three when Sairi peed on Megumi’s head one time.

“Thanks, Itadori. Sairi-chan, I’ll return later to pick you up.” Yuuta leaves for his assignment and wonders if the flood of cursed energy is solely related to Sairi’s existence or if there’s another reason for it. 

“Okay! Let’s get your ice cream now.” Yuuji places her to sit on his shoulders. 

“So high!” Sairi chirps as she can see everything around her in a higher viewpoint from Yuuji’s shoulders. Her amber eyes grow happily.

Yuuji laughs. “But still not higher when you’re on your daddy’s shoulders, right?”

Yes because Gojo Satoru is a damned tower. 

He found an ice cream parlor on the third street. Yuuji hasn't tried it out yet but it looks good. The shop has lively decorations, a wide variety of ice cream caricatured on the walls that could attract children. The chairs and tables are painted with rich colors and Yuuji suddenly thought of sending pictures to Megumi and Nobara via Instagram.

Yuuji is familiar with Sairi’s love for strawberry-flavored sweets so after placing her on a chair near the glass window, he tells her to wait for him until he gets their orders. 

“Yeah, that one,” he says at the crew as he points to the strawberry and chocolate flavors. “Thanks.”

Yuuji then feels a familiar fluctuation of his cursed energy. 

“Brat,” 

He slaps his hand when Sukuna’s mouth shows up.

“Sukuna! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he hisses almost freaking out, looking around to check if someone is close to him at the moment and thankfully he’s the only one currently ordering while the crews from the other side of the counter are occupied by preparing his orders.

“You’re with that child .” Sukuna’s mouth transfers on his arm. Yuuji now freaks out for real.

“Don’t just pop out like this!” he slaps his forearm and a female crew who is putting whipped cream on his orders notices this and looks at him.

“AH,” Yuuji shows her his widest, fakest smile. “just mosquitoes.”

When the woman returns to what she’s doing, Yuuji turns around and glares at his arm. “You haven’t appeared for years, not helping me AT ALL even though I nearly DIED a couple of times and all of a sudden you-” he blurts out.

“Let’s shift,” Sukuna says.

Yuuji makes a choking sound and thinks he had misheard him.

“I have something to confirm with that child.” 

“Whu- HUH?!” Yuuji’s whole face twists but before he could say something in reply, Sukuna activated it;

“Extension.”

Back at the table, Sairi watches the passersby through the glass window while singing a song that she always hears from her mother (she sings with wrong lyrics though) Yuuji - Sukuna? returns with two ice creams on a cup. (Sukuna was on his way to go back to the table totally leaving the ice creams behind but a crew called onto him and gladly gave him the tray which left him in awe and mumbles a quiet  what the hell?  before finally returning.

Sairi’s eyes glimmer at the strawberry ice cream but she feels that something is amiss.

Her line of sight drifts from the ice cream to Yuuji - Sukuna actually, and almost instantly, she gives him a look of surprise.

“Where is Big brother Yuuji?” asks the girl.

Sukuna is slightly impressed by that because not everyone could separate his presence from Yuuji. He frowns and rests his elbow on the table, chin on his palm. 

“He’s dead.” he says with his deep, intimidating voice. 

The child blinks at him and meets his gaze. Sukuna stares at her as if he’s dissecting her very being. So this brat is the Blessed Child? The child born from one of the highest forms of curse?  Sukuna grunts. She's tiny. 

Sairi’s head turns around trying to look for Yuuji but finds no sight of him. This person in front of her is the replica of her big brother Yuuji but they have different presences.

“Who are you?” 

“Silence.” Sukuna crosses his legs under the table and squints his eyes into dangerous slits. He had long existed, by the time he lived freely 1000 years ago, that time where the Blessed Child was nothing but a tale among the gods and goddesses of heavens. Initially, he was planning to be revived three years ago but Sukuna was no fool, he’s completely aware that the existence of the Blessed Child has distorted their reality. Thus making him change his mind.

“Now tell me, what do you plan with your existence?"

But the child ignores him, takes her ice cream, and starts eating it.

“Oi brat,”

Sairi also pulls the chocolate one next to her and sticks her tongue out at Sukuna. 

“You can’t eat this, this is big brother’s ice cwim.”

Sukuna is honestly revolted by the idea that he wants to taste that mud-looking, disgusting, cold food that Yuuji ordered.

“I asked you, what do you-”

“I can sense big brother inside you!” she points a tiny finger at him in accusation. “Did you eat him??”

“What the fuck.” Now Sukuna did not try to hide the face of a scandalized man. If anything it is Yuuji who keeps on eating a portion of him (his fingers) and not the other way around. 

Fuck this brat.

Sairi gapes at him. “Whaaaaat??” Did he say that out loud? Sukuna doesn’t give two turtle shits anyway.

The child then bombards him with questions after questions and before he knew it, the tables had turned. Isn’t he supposed to be the one asking here? That was his original plan. Sukuna glares at her in an attempt to shut her up but  gods,  the child has something in her tiny brain and body that he couldn’t fathom and instead of getting scared like a normal child would be, Sairi imitates him and glares back. It very much reminds him of her irritating father in combination with her mother’s temper.

Looks like the child inherited her parent's worst traits. 

Sukuna has decided he hates Sairi’s fucking guts. 

Sukuna - 0

Sairi - 1

One minute has passed and Yuuji regains control over his body. He pants heavily and silently curses Sukuna for borrowing his body without his consent.

“Sairi-chan!” he scoots over to her chair and holds her. “Are you hurt anywhere? What did he do?” he turns her around to check if Sukuna has inflicted any injury on the little girl and suddenly it doesn’t matter if he dies with or without his loved ones around. Yuuji would never forgive himself if Sukuna did harm his Gojo-sensei’s precious daughter. 

Sairi looks at him and it registers that he is her big brother Yuuji. “You’re baaaack!” she raises her arms joyfully and takes his cup of chocolate ice cream. 

“Here, big brother, I hid it from your evil twin brother.” 

Yuuji gawks at the child’s nonchalance as she continues to eat her ice cream. She looks at him and asks how he ‘shifts personalities with his twin.’

“T-Twin…?” Yuuji wants to throw up at the idea of Sukuna being his twin brother.

Yuuta fetched Sairi late in the afternoon and he didn’t miss Yuuji’s fidgeting when he handed the child back to him. He wants to ask if Sairi did something troublesome yet again but Yuuji excuses himself by saying he needs to get back to Jujutsu High to report his today’s activities. He wasn’t entirely lying but he also wanted to avoid an interrogation coming from Yuuta. 

“Thanks again, Itadori.” Yuuta watches as Yuuji makes a beeline like he just offended him. 

“Sairi-chan, what happened when I was away?” he asks.

“We ate ice cwim!” she proudly says. 

Yuuta sighs and checks his watch. It’s already late and they should head back to the mansion before her parents start contacting him. Their little escapade turned to something else. Nevertheless, Yuuta can still teach her at another time. At least Sairi is happier now.

They get home and the first person they meet along the hallway is Satoru which Yuuta was hoping for because of what he discovered from the mission. 

“Daddy! I met with big brother Yuuji's evil twin brother!” 

Satoru and Yuuta stare at each other knowingly and Yuuta explains that he had left Sairi with Yuuji since he was tasked to deal with an emergency. 

Satoru raises an eyebrow. “What do you think about him?”

“Uh,I’ll take full responsibility for this.” Yuuta sounds apologetic and nervous but Satoru is playing it cool. Now he knows why Yuuji wants to run for his life before they separated.

“He’s rude.” Sairi pouts. “and he tried to steal our ice cwim.”

Satoru cracks up at the image of the legendary King of Curses trying to steal a child’s ice cream. 

“It’s okay, Yuuta-kun. Yuuji-kun can control Sukuna now. Besides, Sairi is fine.” he smiles. He trusts Yuuji enough that he would not let any harm come onto his daughter while he’s with her.

“Sairi, your mommy is looking for you inside.” he ruffles her head and beckons Sairi to get inside the house on which she obliges, calling her mother throughout the house.

“Sensei, there’s also something I have to tell you,” 

“Hm? To be honest, me too. You go first.” Satoru faces him.

“It’s the influx of cursed spirits. I don’t think Sairi-chan’s existence is the only cause of this.”

Satoru cocks his head on the side and lets him continue.

“I’ve sensed him ,” Yuuta says. “Gojo Tatsuya.”

“Heh,” Satoru nods and slightly pushes his sunglasses. “How advanced, I expected him to make a move in fifteen years after the incident three years ago.”

“He must be preparing,” Yuuta guesses. “But if he knows everything about the curse of the Six Eyes, he won’t take a drastic action without careful consideration.”

“Yes,” that is so like him , after all. “And he won’t let Sairi get stronger. She’s a big thorn in his plans to make his ideal world of sorcerers.” 

Yuuta is aware that aside from being her teacher, he is also one of the child’s protectors, meaning he can't take any picture of Sairi getting harmed.

“About the blessed energy, I have another theory - no, more like fact.” Satoru begins. “Cursed energy is born from negative emotions and being the opposite of it, the blessed energy comes from positive emotions.”

Yuuta remembers how happy Sairi was when he summoned the white divine dog resulting in her erasing it. At the same time, Satoru provides a lot of evidence from his observation of the child:

In her past life, she first activated her blessed energy when she tried to stop her brother to get involved in a fight. The next exhibit and the strongest proof was when she killed the members of her family after the murder of her father. It wasn't positive per se, but it was because of love for her father which was a positive emotion, to say the least. In the present Sairi - his daughter’s case, she manifests it due to her impulse on wanting to comfort someone close to her. Those are more than enough proof that his theory is correct.

This information will greatly help Yuuta in training Sairi and he takes notes of that.

After their conversation, Satoru goes inside their home and walks into the kitchen to look for his wife. He finds Utahime preparing their dinner and she glances at him questioningly. 

“You’re alone?” she places the bowls on the table. “I thought Okkotsu-kun would be dining with us.”

Satoru wraps his arms around her from behind. “Yuuta-kun was called earlier for a special assignment, he said he’ll be resting.”

“Mm,” Utahime turns to him. “I just hope Sairi isn’t driving him up the wall.” and puts her arms around him too.

Satoru smiles smugly and pulls her body closer. “Do you know what else we can do next to a wall?” his voice is deep and teasing.

“Oh? And what could be it?” she scoffs playing innocent. Admittedly, Satoru likes this side of her that never stops to challenge him. 

He slowly lifts her chin with his thumb and leans in for a kiss. Satoru is going to deepen it but Utahime raises a hand to stop. 

“How about you first eat your dinner?” she says unlatching her lips from his. The look of slight disappointment from Satoru’s face makes her want to laugh. 

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re avenging yourself from all those years that I bullied you.” He plops down on a chair facing his dinner as Utahime sits next to him to keep him company. 

“You crying?”  Utahime chuckles at her imitation of him back in the day, when he came claiming to have saved her. She pours tea on their cups and starts drinking it. 

Satoru smirks and threateningly proclaims as he eats; “After this, I’ll have my dessert  tonight.” and gives her a knowing look.

Utahime chokes on her tea. 

Age 5, Summer

They have spent the last two years looking for traces of Tatsuya and Shigeo and harnessing Sairi’s energy. The sorcerers have worked nonstop but they did not expect that locating them would be that agonizingly difficult even with the help of the Gojo clan. 

Satoru concluded that Tatsuya/Brain has been transferring from bodies to bodies and that he doesn’t stay in one place - or country, even, the reason for them to fail every time. 

The Gojo clan has two main goals at the moment; eliminate Tatsuya and Shigeo and any other potential threat in their clan. The other being the final judgment of whether the family would grant the continuous existence of Gojo Sairi, the current head’s daughter and the Blessed Child - the biggest threat to every single cursed energy user in the world. 

Should she fail this test, the family will order an immediate execution.

“Hello, Sairi-chan,” Naomi opens her arms wide for the girl to come. “I am your grandma~”

They are at the center of a spacious room while the observers mainly the other members of the council including the child’s parents and master aren’t allowed to speak a single word. A lukewarm light casts onto the two of them. It reminds Sairi of the time her father’s student's brought her to a cinema theater for the first time. 

“Granma?” she asks and turns her head to look for her mother.

“It’s alright,” the woman’s voice is warm and sweet. “Your parents are there,” she gestures at her right where Satoru, Utahime, and Yuuta are seated in a far, dark corner. “But they are not allowed to join our conversation. This is just between you and me,” she explains with a smile.

The child stares at her with pursed lips.

“I have something for you here, Sairi-chan,” to her left is a small table where objects are lined up. Naomi takes two talismans and shows them to her. “Can you differentiate the two?”

Sairi looks at the woman’s face and then at the objects. “This one is cursed, this one isn’t.” she points out.

“Wow! Very good!” Naomi puts down the non-cursed object and smiles. “Now, can you help me with this? I want you to cancel the cursed energy in this talisman.”

The child peers to look at her sensei and Yuuta bobs his head. It was pretty dark but he’s sure she had seen him.

Sairi walks forwards and takes the talisman, one of the lowest cursed objects in a sorcerer’s possession. It looks outdated too and it would be the easiest to dispel. Gold energy appears from her hands and the talisman becomes nothing but an ordinary paper. She gives it back to Naomi after.

“Impressive.” the woman says and takes another object. This one would be a little challenging.

“Is that the  Hope Diamond ?” Yuuta whispers to Satoru who sits next to him. He is well-traveled and very much informed in cursed objects and tools thanks to Maki.

“I can’t believe it’s in her possession.” the man shakes his head and puts a hand over his chin.

Utahime turns at him. “The 17th-century old necklace that brings misfortune to its wearer.” she sighs. “Does she want Sairi to remove the cursed energy so that can wear it?”

“That figures.” Satoru chuckles amusedly. It’s not surprising because Naomi has a penchant for jewelry. But to use Sairi’s skills for that..

He glances at the other council members from the other side and they are all scowling and murmuring at this too including Koharu. Satoru can practically hear them saying  “Oh sweet Sugawara no Michizane, here she goes again.” 

“Look at how pretty this is, Sairi-chan.” Naomi coos. “Unfortunately, this gorgeous piece is cursed and brings death to its wearer. Can you help me with this?” she places the cursed necklace on the child’s palms.

Sairi stares at it and gulps. “It’s...ugly.”

Naomi gasps as the other council members observe them with curiosity. 

“Oh no Sairi-chan, you must not anger the curse in the necklace.” the woman says with a forced smile. “Just...remove the curse.”

The child huffs and grips the necklace with one tiny hand.  “Enlightenment.”  and once again a gold light envelops the object in her hand.

“Ow!” Sairi drops the object as if it burns her skin. A black smoke takes shape from the necklace after it lands on the floor.

“The curse is quite powerful,” Yuuta says from his seat. “she needs more time to nullify it.” 

Satoru and Utahime look at him and then at their daughter.

Sairi squints at the necklace and picks it up now without the blessed energy flowing. Naomi eyes at her warily.

The girl takes a deep breath and calls out her blessed technique. “Enlighten-” she stops midway and the onlookers wait for her next move. Sairi closes her left eye and peeks inside the blue diamond, bringing it close to her face.

“What is she doing?” Utahime turns at Yuuta. 

“She’s….” Yuuta  watches her carefully. “studying if she can cancel it from the outside.”

The action seems familiar and Satoru smiles. It reminds him of his time in the Prison Realm.

Sairi looks straight at Naomi’s eyes with a blank face. “This needs to be destroyed from the outside first before the cursed energy disappears.” she tells her.

Naomi’s eyebrows twitches and eyes to her right where Sairi's family are. “Okkotsu-kun, could you explain this?”

Yuuta clears his throat before speaking. “If there is a shell protecting the curse, it needs to be destroyed from the outer part for the blessed energy to break inside. The older the cursed energy staying in the object, the harder it is to dispel. It’s the same concept in the Prison Realm only that in the Hope Diamond case, it’s reversed with the cursed energy inside, and the blessed energy cannot enter.”

“But it is energy, can’t it get inside without trouble?” the woman asks again.

“It cannot...as of the moment.”

“As of the moment.” she echoes.

“Sairi’s skills aren’t fully developed yet.” 

Naomi hums in understanding. Silly, she thought Sairi could do it. But she also cannot afford to wreck it just to completely free it from the curse. It's a beautiful piece of jewelry and it should not go to waste.

She takes the diamond back and places it on the table. Since the child’s abilities are still limited, the council cannot base their decision just on that.

The most important thing to them is to weigh how Sairi uses it and treats everything around her, cursed or not. 

In the end all she needs to prove that she is not a threat to the sorcerer world.

“Now for the last test,” Naomi claps her hands with merriment.

Utahime grips the armrest of her chair and Satoru places a hand over hers, a silent assurance that everything will be alright and that all they have to do is to trust their daughter.

Oh, how they wish it was that easy.

“Sairi-chan~” the woman curls her lips in vague amusement. A Cheshire smile that reminds them of someone they knew. “Cancel everyone’s cursed energy in this room.” 

Everyone from the council except Sairi’s immediate family who simply broadens their eyes in shock at the last test, choruses in fierce disapproval.

Chapter Text

A clashing of wooden staffs resonates in the training room. 

Rui hurtled towards his sensei, slamming his weapon against hers with speed. 

“Use your weight when you attack your opponent!” Maki asserts and at a stroke, the boy jumps back and strikes again.

On the far right corner, Megumi watches the sparring match while he sits on a chair with a book placed over his lap. It’s almost a bad idea to think about reading a book with an interesting  match like this. 

The seven-year old boy developed rather quickly than they had anticipated. He is lacking cursed energy but he’s skilled enough to see it. His physical prowess is still developing but Megumi can tell that he will go a long way with his talents. Somehow, Rui’s dexterity reminds him of someone he battled in the past, and Megumi wonders if he would one day reach that man’s level. 

Megumi studies Maki’s movements and she’s more aggressive than usual. He rises from his chair and places the book on the side table. She’s not holding back?  Concerned, Megumi strides closer, just behind where Rui lands after Maki unleashes a heavy smash. The boy groans at the impact and that’s when he decided to interrupt.

“Maki.” Megumi’s voice shows displeasure and his face clearly says she should pause.

Maki reads his expression right away and glances at the boy who is massaging his wrist, crouching down. 

“Rui, are you hurt?” she lowers her weapon and goes to the boy. Her eyes widen as she sees that what her staff hit from the attack were his wrist and not his weapon. Maki curses herself inwardly and sighs. It wasn’t her intention to actually inflict injury on him.

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“I’m fine, sensei,” the boy smiles curtly, grasping his painful wrist. “What else do I have to improve?”

Maki feels guiltier.

“You did well, Rui.” Megumi answers on her behalf and walks towards them. “Now, you should get to the clinic and let Shoko-san do something about that.” his line of sight falls on the boy’s wrist and nods in the direction of the door. 

Rui looks at him then at Maki with a few hesitant glances, detecting the disappointment in Megumi. He momentarily worries that it’s his fault for getting caught off guard. 

“Yes, sensei.” the boy leaves tensely following Megumi’s advice. 

When he’s completely out of the room, Megumi faces Maki. “Is something bothering you?”

Maki says nothing, only that she shows surprise at Megumi’s question. She had expected him to reprimand her after accidentally hitting Rui but it didn’t come.

“You seem distracted recently.” he notes. Megumi is aware that Maki has been protective of Rui and that she’s always careful not to seriously harm him. 

“It’s nothing.” Maki averts her gaze when Megumi calls her out.

“It’s Okkotsu-senpai, isn’t it?”

At the mention of the name, Maki turns her heels to face him with flushed cheeks and quivering lips. 

She searches for words to retort but all she could do is stutter. 

Maki knows it’s useless to lie to Megumi’s face and eventually she gives up trying to hide it.

“Fine, you got me!” she stomps her feet and places the staff back in the armory mounted on the wall. She lets out a groan of frustration when she gives him a once over and sees how Megumi is anticipating her explanation. “He’s hiding something.”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. He’s no expert on the matter but he knows that Yuuta isn’t the type who cheats on a woman. There’s just no way. Then again, even he isn’t sure what’s the real score between Maki and his senpai. They seem to have some sort of an understanding for a year now that neither one of them clears up.

“Like?” he asks simply.

“I don’t know but he’s hiding something. I have a feeling it’s clan related.”

Megumi  crosses his arms. “If it’s clan related you have to understand him.”

Now it’s Maki’s turn to raise an eyebrow, higher than he did earlier. She gives him a  “are you fucking serious Megumi? You’re not siding with me?”   look. But she knows he has a point.

The Gojo and the Zenin are long-time rivals so it’s natural that there will always be a part of Yuuta that would be extra careful when he talks about them as their relative. Not to mention, he’s none other than the clan head’s daughter’s mentor. But that small gap is rubbing her the wrong way and Maki can feel that it’s getting wide as time goes by. 

First and foremost, she understands that he has responsibilities as a sorcerer and as a mentor to Sairi. She has no problem with that, nothing at all. And that she cares about the girl’s well-being and is happy that Yuuta is doing well in mentoring her. The only thing that bugs her to no end is the feeling that Yuuta isn’t being totally honest with her.

“Everyone! Snacks are ready!”

Maki is beyond grateful that Tsumiki has stepped in before Megumi could spout another nonsensical question that could put her in an uncomfortable, irritable mood. Megumi’s step-sister has been a great addition to Jujutsu High. She usually helps Shoko in the clinic, tending those who need medical attention, and sometimes she helps the cook in preparing the student’s meals from time to time. When she’s not doing both duties, she’s busy arranging the faculty office and helping the teachers with their paperwork.

“Huh? Where’s Rui-kun?” she sets down the tray of food on the table at the corner of the room and looks at Megumi.

“He’s in the clinic.” he says, going to where the snacks are to grab some onigiri but Tsumiki slaps his hand away. 

“You hurt him?!” Tsumiki looks at him in disbelief. 

Megumi sighs and attempts to steal the onigiri from the table - he succeeds this time.

 “Sis, it’s inevitable to get hurt from training.” he covers up for Maki, taking a bite of the food.

Maki glances up to meet Tsumiki’s eyes with guilt and the other woman could tell what happened.

“Hmm, I suppose,” Tsumiki shrugs. “But please don’t overdo it. He’s still a child.”

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” Maki apologizes. “I’ll be careful next time.”

“I know you didn’t mean it.” Tsumiki smiles kindly. “We all do care for him.”

Rui returns after a few minutes. His right wrist is covered in bandages and an ice pack on another hand. The four of them finished the rest of the onigiris while chatting. Tsumiki leaves and Maki asks if she can help her with the dishes. At first, Tsumiki falters, thinking that Maki might be tired of the training and that she should not push herself into helping her but in truth, Maki just wants an excuse to leave so that Megumi won’t bombard her with Yuuta related questions. The two girls goes outside together leaving Megumi and Rui to arrange the rest of the armory.

“Megumi-sensei,”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you something? It’s about Sairi.”

They are cleaning the training tools and Megumi has to pause for a second before he lifts a gaze at the boy.  He’s really curious about her, isn’t he?  Megumi can’t remember a week passing by that Rui hasn’t asked about Sairi. The two kids occasionally meet to play when Yuuta comes to the school or when Megumi visits the Gojo estate to deliver some updates. 

“What is it?” he asks, eyes at the tool he’s wiping with a rag.

“Am I stronger than her?” 

Megumi stops and looks at the boy. There’s the same inscrutable expression. But there is one difference when Rui asks about other things than when he speaks about Sairi - there’s a glint in his emerald eyes, faint, but noticeable in Megumi for the most part.

He puts the tool down on the table and muses. All they know is that Sairi is under Yuuta’s tutelage and that she’s undergoing training to control her energy. He heard that she is having trouble in it which is understandable. She’s only five years old. She will still have a long way to go to fully control it. 

From Rui's question, Megumi realizes that they have no knowledge about her skillset which is an odd thing because Yuuta doesn’t really talk about it. But he also think that maybe it’s because they still haven’t figured it out and Sairi’s abilities are still developing. 

“Yes,” he answers. “when it comes to raw strength, you’re stronger than her. Why do you ask?”

 “Nothing, I was just wondering if we could..work together.”

Work together? 

“Because Sairi has low stamina. She also sleeps a lot after we play.”

Megumi blinks, wondering where the boy’s thoughts are going.

“If she lacks stamina and I have a lot of it, together we can fill that void and work together." Rui’s face lights up at the thought of it. “I can protect her when she needs me.”

He stares at him slightly surprised. Megumi now understands. He continues cleaning the other tools and smiles at himself.

“Sure, you can protect her.”

Rui goes home late in the afternoon. It is a weekend and a day for his training in Jujutsu High. He is currently enrolled as a Grade 2 pupil in an elementary school not far from their home, the same school Sairi is attending as a kindergarten, three buildings away from his class. 

It takes three train stations from Jujutsu High to his home. He is greeted by his grandmother, the person taking care of him since his parents’ death.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home, Rui.” the old woman smiles. “How was your- oh, where did you get that?” she asks concernedly, looking at his bandaged wrist. 

“I tripped.” the boy lies and bit his lower lip, putting his shoes on the rack. “I’m fine. This is nothing.”

His grandmother is aware of his abilities to see cursed spirits and that he is slated to enter Jujutsu High as a student once he finishes junior high, a set up that Maki and Megumi made which she had long accepted. Knowing all these, she can’t help but worry about the boy’s safety. But there’s simply no other way for Rui to escape it. His life would never return to normal since that fateful night three years ago.

His family boarded a train going to Shibuya to watch the Halloween event that night. Fifteen minutes after a mysterious man got in from the second station when the mass murder began. People started killing each other by choking, stabbing, gouging each other’s eyes, using any pointed objects they have at that time, smashing the windows and using the broken shards with their bloodied hands, engulfing the train with blood and violence that a two-year-old boy at that time couldn’t possibly comprehend. His father soon became possessed of the cursed technique and started attacking them but his mother, who had an affinity with cursed entities as a former member of the branch Zenin clan, although having only a small portion of cursed energy, did everything she got to stop him and save Rui. 

When the train decelerated before it reached their destination, Rui’s mother kicked him out to save him and the boy wandered and cried for hours until he ended up in a convenience store where Maki and Megumi found him. If Rui is to be asked, he couldn’t remember what exactly happened and how he survived the incident. He started seeing strange creatures from that moment and his life was forever changed. 

“I’m home, papa, mama.” Rui keeps a photo of his parents in his study stable. Their last photo together. He places his backpack on his study chair and smiles at them - his inspiration to work hard and to one day become a strong sorcerer so that no other family would suffer the same fate as he did. 

Gojo clan estate

“I can’t do that.” Sairi shakes her head disapprovingly. “Because I will harm everyone if I use my technique against them.”

The council is silent nearly holding their breaths, eyes fixated at the child in the limelight. 

Naomi crosses her legs, her other elbow leaning on the side table where the objects are. “Ohh?” she narrows her gaze at the girl.

Sairi fumbles her hands nervously and turns her vision at her parents then back at the woman in front of her. “I’m training..hard to control my energy so that I won’t hurt anyone.”

Utahime loosens up and leans back. She glances at Satoru’s steady gaze and she can see how he’s satisfied with her answer. But the final decision will not come from them - that is the council’s job. 

“Let’s say someone you love is hurt, would you still not use your technique against them?” Naomi dares with a smirk.

A tricky question because in all truthfulness, it’s never going to happen - in one way or another, Sairi will be forced to use it against someone, and restraining her from it is just not possible. It’s a question that the council has prepared for the child and their sentence will depend on how her response will be.

“I will use it,” the five-year-old says without a doubt in her tone. 

“Why?” the woman’s smirk is growing. “You said you won’t harm anyone using your skill but when your loved one is in danger you are willing to hurt them. Is that right?”

Sairi looks at her naively and nods multiple times.

The council shifts on their seats and starts whispering.

“Satoru,” Utahime feels troubled, seeing how the other people in the room are making the final decision. 

“Relax, Utahime.” the man says confidently and she can’t see how he’s unbothered by that. “Let’s trust our child.”

Sairi looks on her left upon hearing the mumbling of on-going debate within the council seated in that direction. She can hear her aunt Koharu trying to silence everyone and their conclusions and another male voice arguing about possibilities. The child then turns to Naomi to add something.

“...just like now,” the child bows her head. “I don’t want to use it against my family.”

The whispering stops.

“Everyone here is my family and if I cancel their energy, I….” she looks at her right where her parents and sensei are, pouting.

“Ahh,” Naomi follows her gaze. “Smart girl.” she leans down and reaches for a lock of the child’s hair and tuck it behind her ear. 

“Although I have to say that I’m quite disappointed because you didn’t ease up my work here.” the woman whispers in between giggles. “Aha, just kidding.” she pulls back and winks at her playfully then rises.

“I believe that the council has made our decision?” she announces.

Satoru, Utahime, and Yuuta look at the council from the other side and Masataka stands up to give the final judgment. The man walks at the center and gazes down at the child. Sairi looks at him quietly as she stands between Naomi and him. 

“I will now declare the final judgment to Gojo Sairi.” Masataka says sternly.

“Sure, go ahead~ my job here is done.” Naomi shoots one last look at the child with a meaningful wink. “It was fun talking to you, Sairi-chan.” 

Sairi didn’t miss the way her lips curved once again with the uncanny Cheshire smile in addition to her ‘joke’ earlier but as a child, she didn’t grasp the hidden meaning behind it. 

At Koharu’s signal, Mio enters the room and takes Sairi outside. 

Masataka faces everyone. 

“Based on the trial, the child has the will to control her energy. But it’s still early to tell her limitations and whether she has the skill to fully manage her power. Not disregarding this, the council has looked into her approach on when she is going to use it if the situation demands it. Sairi has shown to willingly defend someone close to her and yet failing to look at a deeper notion of the example.”

Utahime and is about to step forward to justify her daughter’s answer but Satoru stops her.

“Because it was the logical choice.” Satoshi’s voice breaks the building tension and all eyes in the room fall to him. There was no right or wrong answer to that question and the council has decided to based their decision on her willingness to control her energy.

“We’re granting her to continue on living.”

Satoru smiles smugly while Utahime and Yuuta stare at the old man.

“It is now your responsibility if Sairi’s power goes uncontrolled,” Satoshi tells to the three of them. “The rules of our clan will take effect on her soon as she defies it. She won’t be getting any special treatment even if she’s your daughter, Satoru.”

Satoru stifles a poised laugh. “I understand.”

The old man scans all of them in one go and turns around, his bodyguards following behind. 

“Dismissed.” 

The rest of the council departs except for Koharu. 

Utahime and Koharu cheer in joy, holding each other’s hands while Satoru congratulates and thanks Yuuta for guiding their child.

The young man lets out a sigh - finally, it’s done and those two years of hard work in training Sairi was proven worth it. 

“An educational trip?” Satoru tears his sight from the television and looks at Utahime, her phone in hand after Sairi’s teacher calls to inform her about the school’s field trip next week. 

“She said they will need our approval first.” Utahime sits next to him. “They are going to a farm outside the city for a day and the children will spend time with the animals there. Probably going to observe their habitat and the farm life.”

From the other part of the house, Sairi’s laughter could be heard while Yoshio and her are playing horsey-horsey.

“Oh, that’s great.” Satoru continues watching the local news on television. It’s just a normal, enjoyable activity for the children - no biggie. He’s sure Sairi will enjoy it since she's fond of animals. Satoru could only hope she won’t get too excited and fall on a cow’s poo or she might end up inside a pig’s belly, or be chased by goats and get caught sleeping on a barn - the list goes on. 

“I thought the teacher is going to tell us Sairi fed her classmates with cockroaches this time.” 

Utahime snorts but she can’t deny that their daughter is a bit of a troublemaker. It’s ridiculous. She carried their child for nine months and she ended up acting like her father. But thankfully, she’s the tamer version of him. Sairi knows how to respect the elders although she’s ready to throw a punch when provoked - just like her mother. 

“Mommyyy!” Sairi comes rushing to the living room carrying a canvas half her size.

 “I drew this!”

Yoshio appears from behind tailing her. “Uncle, it reminds me of your drawings!” the teen laughs out loud ridiculing his uncle’s nonexistent artistic skills. 

Sairi reveals her drawing and shows it to her parents. It has a B+ grade on the side marked by her teacher from school.

Satoru and Utahime stare at their daughter’s art, unable to react. On the canvas is a watercolor painting of a river in the middle of a forest that they both know very well. Utahime’s heart lurches but tries not to show her surprise. 

“It’s..beautiful.” she says taking the canvas from Sairi’s hands. The child grins showing her front teeth and goes back to her playroom with Yoshio. The sound of their footsteps receding as they chase each other. 

Satoru stares at the drawing interestedly. “Old habits die hard.” he says. “They’re sharing the same soul so there’s that.”

Utahime looks at the canvas with worry which Satoru instantly detects. The memory of past Sairi's death filled her mind. The river - that same river where she died.

“Sairi is a better version of her past self now. She won't end up like her.” he doesn't need to hear what's on her mind for him to conclude that it is what's bothering Utahime.

She puts the canvas gently on the center table. 

Even though the council had granted her to live and that Sairi is a much happier and potentially stronger than the past Sairi, Utahime can’t hide that her worries are still present not until they officially lift Satoru’s curse. It’s difficult to think about, something that she continuously struggles with. 

“As long as the curse is still there,” she says. “I’ll worry about you and our daughter. I’m sorry but it’s something I can’t easily brush off.” 

“I know,” he smiles. “and we are continually going to help her to improve herself."

Utahime looks around to glimpse at their daughter’s playroom next to the open living room, she sounds so happy being the child that she is. 

“I trust her,” she looks at her husband with a small smile of hope. “she’s our child, after all.”

Satoru follows her eyes at the sight of Sairi playing with Yoshio. 

“I just remember, Rui-kun is in the same school as Sairi. I’m sure they will have fun together.” Utahime says with optimism. 

Satoru hums in approval. As someone who’s under Megumi’s guidance, he knows that the boy has excellent manners. He may be the anchor but with Sairi continuing to surpass her past life, Rui’s fate would be altered too. There’s nothing to fret about.

Rui is also older than Sairi, making him her senpai.

“Come to think of it, she never calls him senpai too..”

Satoru coughs quite loudly at his thoughts and Utahime has to ask him what’s wrong but he says it was nothing and that something just got stuck in his throat. 

Ominous air swirls around the dark portion of the patriarch’s mansion. In the dead of the night, his only daughter had paid him a visit. A woman escorts her to their master’s office.

“What do you want, Naomi?” Satoshi presses the cane on the floor as he sits on the maroon decorative armchair. His room is roughly empty. Just the mahogany-colored office table, a swivel chair, and four single fancy armchairs. Behind the swivel chair and the table is a small sliding window facing the east. Radiant light casting over their shadows. 

“Just paying my father a visit, is there anything wrong with that?” Naomi descends to one of the armchairs comfortably.

Satoshi gives her an eyeful, discerning her carefully. Naomi has never visited him before.

“You’re not Naomi.” the old man declares.

Naomi chuckles and brings out a dossier from a rectangular black bag. “What makes you say that?” she asks without looking at him.

The old man breathes out slowly, cautiously, and his eyes dart on the door. It might be too late and whoever this person that possessed his daughter-

There’s only one person who would do that.

“Kidding. I didn’t expect you to find out but I guess you know her manner of talking more than anyone else in the family.” Naomi - or the entity inside her says. “In that case, I’ll be blunt. I don't intend to waste my time here,” she hands out the dossier to the old man and without even looking at the contents, Satoshi knows what exactly it is for.

“Tatsuya,” he growls. “What have you done to Naomi?!”

“Geez,” Tatsuya, still in Naomi’s mind, pulls the dossier back and rolls his eyes. “How touching for a man who didn’t think twice before sending his second son to his death. You willingly sacrificed him for the clan, right?”

Satoshi’s eyes turn to slits, glaring at him vehemently.

“You had the chance and you didn’t let it slip. Can’t blame you with that,” he stands and waltzes around with the dossier. “It was to heighten up the power of the clan through Satoru and to let him have the seat of the head, you had to eliminate the people before his ascension based on the rules of the family. To do that, you had to-”

In a heartbeat, Satoshi jumps onto him, propelling the cane enveloped with immense cursed energy. But Tatsuya evaded the attack. 

“If it isn’t the old guy who has no manners now. I was talking, you know,” he taunts. 

“You are going to die here,” the old man warns.

“And so is Naomi,” Tatsuya replies with a smirk. “Jokes on me. She’s dead. Thanks to  him , we are one and more powerful now. Not even Satoru's Six Eyes could detect him in me." he reveals a stitched forehead that was hidden behind Naomi’s fringe and unravels it showing a gross brain with a mouth.

This enraged Satoshi, provoking him to attack once more but Tatsuya dodged him with ease and twists the old man’s arm on his back, slamming him on the table.

“The time that you were still the undefeated Gojo clan head was long gone,” he laughs grimly. “I just need you to sign these written last wills and you will declare Naomi as the next head in the event that Satoru died.”

Satoshi struggles beneath him, swearing to curse him before he dies.

“Yoshio is still a teen and cannot rule the clan yet. Satoru’s daughter is out of the question since not in a million years Masataka and Noboru would let the Blessed Child take over. They’ve been generous enough to let her live. That makes me think, I should also eliminate Koharu since she’s the most possible candidate next to Naomi. I doubt my two other uncles are willing to take over anyway.” Tatsuya goes on.

“You are never going to defeat Satoru!” Satoshi snarls.

Tatsuya leans to whisper in his ear. “I sure can’t but the curse  can.”

Satoshi’s eyes shoot up and he writhes in retaliation but Tatsuya possessing Naomi’s strength is much stronger than him. His old body has minimal strength now unlike in the past.

“Naomi may not be one of the strongest but she sure has the technique to help me with my future endeavors.”

The old man looks at the door and listens carefully, hearing the screams and shouts of the servants in his mansion. 

“She got the best curtain ever.” Tatsuya smiles and tugs Satoshi’s head roughly, forcing him to look outside at the curtain he cast earlier. Inside this, no one could ever detect the massacre that is happening and that no one could exit.

“Satoru would have a hard time destroying Naomi’s curtain. Sure he will succeed but it might be too late..”

“What are you talking about?!” Satoshi rages.

“Enough with you, I’m taking my leave soon.” Tatsuya activates his technique and his mind controls the old man. Satoshi also activates his cursed energy to repel it but it was overwhelming. 

“Stop giving me a hard time, you good for nothing old man.”

“Tatsuya-” Satoshi groans, quivering. “d-don’t….do this!”

Tatsuya grabs his neck and pushes his face on the table hard enough to crack it. Soon as Satoshi is completely possessed by his technique, he eases up and lets him take a pen to follow his every command.

“Sign here,” Tatsuya points at the documents. “say that Gojo Naomi will be the next clan head to Gojo Satoru and everything that she will acquire all the family's heirloom.” his Cheshire smile appears broadly on Naomi’s lips. 

After Satoshi is finished signing the testament, Tatsuya orders him to bash his head onto the wall until he dies. 

At the train station, 9am 

The children are obediently lined up going to the platform. They are wearing cute yellow hats and light blue uniforms. Girls are divided from boys and their respective teachers are in front of them as they walk.

“Sairi-chan,” Kana,  Sairi’s classmate from behind her pokes her arm. “Let’s eat together later!”

“Mhm!” Sairi agrees with a smile. 

From the boy’s queue, a brown-haired, chubby boy stares at her. He’s the same boy who bullied her back in the daycare center two years ago who happened to be enrolled in the same private school as hers. The boy is named Hajime and he stops bullying her since the onigiri incident.

“What is it Harambe?” 

“It’s Hajime!” he reminds her and clicks his tongue. 

Sairi always forgets his name for some unknown reason. The other time, she called him Hachiko. 

The girl ignores him and looks at her right where the grade 1 and 2 pupils are lined up, waiting for their train. Sairi jumps trying to check if she can spot Rui but the other kids are blocking her view.

The little girl makes a quick survey around her, seeing if there're teachers around and bounces going to the grade 2 students, leaving her line. Her classmate  tries to stop her but it didn’t work.

She finds Rui's familiar spiky dark hair and raises her arms.

“Rui!” she squeals in delight.

The said boy looks at her in surprise. “Sairi, why are you here? You’re supposed to stay in your line with your classmates.” he reminds and looks for teachers nearby. 

“C’mon, let’s go back to your lane.” Rui holds her hand to return her  when Sairi notices the bandages on his wrist. 

“What's this?” she asks innocently.

“It’s just a scratch.” Rui tugs her and the little girl reluctantly follows. 

Sairi becomes curious and pokes his wrist with a finger, the one that’s holding her other hand. Rui jerks when his injury stings. 

“Rui is a liar.” she pulls a face. 

He puffs and marches until he sees Sairi’s teacher who is currently scared out of her wits, running back and forth looking for the girl. The teacher thanked Rui for sending her back personally and Sairi got a gentle scolding for leaving her lane.

A few minutes passed and their train arrived. The children board the train in an orderly manner. They are paired into two in the seats and each of them is told not to leave their partners behind. It will take 40-50 minutes until they reach the farm in Chiba. 

Sairi climbs on her seat before they depart to see where Rui is but Kana, says she should not put her shoes on the train seat because it’s improper. She sulks and settles on her position near the windows after putting her seatbelt on. 

From the Grade 1 and 2' side:

Thirty minutes on their travel and Rui peeks on the rice paddies, seemingly endless green fields, and a clear blue sky above. It’s a perfect day to visit a farm. 

But suddenly, the children and teachers jolts on their seats after hearing shrieks of people and the sound of disintegrating metal. Rui’s enhanced senses quickly tell him that danger is around the corner.

“What was that?” a passenger unfasten his seatbelt to check on the next train car. He peeps on the small opening through a door to see what the sound was about and gasped.

“T-there’s- blood! E-everywhere!” the man screams creating a domino effect of panic throughout the train. The teachers collect the children in one corner while the adults use their luggage to block the door. They do not know what’s going on but all they know is it’s far from good.

The teachers and students dash towards the other door but halts when a bloodied man comes rushing, holding a piece of a metal bar. A man lunges forward to stop him and the children cry in fear, huddling each other as their teacher, who is also frightened, holds them closer. 

But the passenger man got hit by the metal bar on his head, knocking him down. 

“Rui-kun! Get back here!” the teacher shouts as Rui goes to the center of the aisle and faces the possessed man. He can feel the cursed energy surrounding the civilian man.  He’s under a cursed technique!  Rui grits his teeth. 

This brings back the nightmare of his two-year-old self. It’s just like that time, when he lost his parents and when he witnessed a slaughter of people killing people in the train they boarded at that time. Rui can tell it’s the same cursed technique. 

The boy looks for anything that could be used as a weapon and finds an umbrella from one of the seats. It’s not much but what else could he get. Not like weapons are allowed in trains. 

The man hasn’t had time to blink when Rui attacks him, smashing his skull with one swing of the umbrella. He falls and Rui takes the metal bar from his hand. His teacher and classmates are all in awe from what the seven-year old did just now. 

Rui jumps back, sensing another presence coming. He tightens his grip at the bar, waiting for it to reveal itself.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you,” in front of him, a man with stitched forehead walks in with a satisfied smile.

Rui glares at the man, recognizing him as the same man who caused the incident years ago. He slightly looked different from the stitches but Rui is sure that it is him.

“It’s you!” the boy exclaims with pure hatred.

“Hoh?” Tatsuya scrutinized him. “I don’t remember us meeting before but I know who you are, Okami Rui-kun,” 

Rui’s glares turn sharper as he positions himself to fight him. Tatsuya laughs at the boy’s display of bravery.  As expected to the anchor.  

“A metal bar?” the man laughs mockingly and pulls something from his side. 

“Here is a much better weapon.” he shows him a pair of dual blades. “And this is what you’re going to use tonight.”

From the Kindergarten’s side:

“I’m scared…” Kana shudders beside Sairi who is assessing the situation. They heard echoing voices of pleas and cries from the next train car and their teachers are trying to communicate with the other groups to ask what’s going on - which they failed because none of them are answering. 

A man and woman both holding shards of something broken barges inside. They are swaying like drunk people and start stabbing the other passengers like madmen. Blood pours all over their bodies. Sairi’s classmates scream and wail at the sight of murder while she crawls under the seat sensing the cursed user.

“... For you to stop a cursed technique, you have to touch the cursed user…”

Sairi recalls Yuuta’s teachings. She tries to calm down and hides from the others to concentrate. Her techniques require a lot of attentiveness and their bursting agitation could suppress the effectiveness of her skill. 

“...your technique comes from positivity so when you’re using it, you have to control your negative emotions …”

Five adults step forward and hurl the attackers. Punches and kicks ensue as the teachers tell the students to close their eyes and stay down. 

"...however, your technique can only take an effect once you are stronger than the cursed energy user...this is why, Sairi-chan, you have to continuously improve, okay?...."

After the commotion, the adults scamper to their feet when the door swings open again, but they all calmed down when it was just a boy a bit older than the ones behind them.

“Oh, a kid! Is he one of yours?” a man looks over his shoulder to tell the kindergartens and teacher. 

“Rui?” Sairi rolls away from under the seats and pushes herself to stand. “Rui!” she’s on her way to him when...

Rui pulls out a dual blade and slices the man’s throat, the other gets stabbed in the chest and the three have their eyes and faces sliced, ultimately disabling them. His movements and speed are far from what a normal seven year old kid could do - for he is a boy training to be a sorcerer. 

Sairi's fear flutters in her stomach as terror steals her movements. Her positivity completely gone as negative emotions conquers her. 

This is not the Rui she knows.

While fear numbed her body, all she can do is to stare at him- Rui has none of it but how come she can see a strong cursed energy that surrounds him?

“There you are,” a man enters and casually sits on one of the seats, not minding the corpses and the pool of blood around.

Sairi now knows that Rui is under this man’s cursed technique.

“Good day, Sairi-chan,” Tatsuya greets and turns his head at Rui. 

"Let's fulfill your destiny." his smirk deepens.

On his mark, Rui raises his weapons and bolts forwards to attack Sairi.

Chapter Text

Jujutsu High Faculty, 10:03 am

Broken pieces of ceramics cluttered on the floor after the mug slipped from her hand. This has never happened before. Utahime wasn’t the clumsy type and more often than not, she moves with grace and prudence. 

Her heart pounded in her chest for a reason she could not make sense of. Something isn’t right and it is the only thing that she’s sure of.

The door opened and closed as Nanami entered clutching a bag of freshly baked bread in his arm. 

“Utahime-senpai, good morning,” the blond man greets and pauses upon seeing that Utahime had frozen in the spot. Nanami looks below, following the direction of her eyes.

It takes her a moment to notice that Nanami is standing next to her.

“Senpai?” 

Utahime snapped out of it with her mouth agape. She looks at Nanami, alarmed, and then back at the broken mug on the floor.

“S-sorry, I’ll have it cleaned.” Utahime looks for the cleaning equipment, mind still all over the place.

“Is something the matter?” Nanami asks deliberately, placing the bag of bread on his table and watches as the woman mistakenly opens the wrong cabinet looking for the cleaning equipment. 

Utahime breathes out and opens another storage, taking the mop and a couple of rags to clean up the mess she accidentally created. “It’s fine. Sorry for the clutter.”

Nanami approaches to take the mop from her hand and offers to help her clean. Utahime refuses at first but Nanami insists, thinking it would be un-gentleman of him to just watch while the woman cleans it all by herself. It would simply make him feel uncomfortable to not help.

“Michi-san is a lucky girl to have you, Nanami.” Utahime praises, carefully picking up the broken pieces of the mug before Nanami wipes it off. She and Satoru have met Michi before, the bakery girl Nanami started seeing since who-knows-when but as secretive as he is about his personal life, they would not be surprised if Nanami suddenly announces that he’s getting married. 

“Am I supposed to say the same thing to you?” Nanami replies with a glint of dark humor and Utahime couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Maybe? And maybe not.” she humors back. Utahime knows that the remark was directed towards Satoru. Her husband did so many questionable, childish actions with Nanami in the past that she wasn’t shocked to learn one time Nanami opened up about it. The man is four years her junior, polite and respected by the students. They maintain a healthy professional relationship as Utahime finds him the easiest person to work with.

“Just hoping that everything is going well in your home.” after they clean up everything, Nanami returns the cleaning tools to the storage.

 She thanked him kindly before going to her table which is next to his. “Aside from Satoru getting busy most of the time which is normal, everything is fine.” 

“Glad to hear that.” the man hands her the bag of bread which Michi provided to share with his colleagues. “How’s Sairi-chan doing?” 

“Sairi is on her very first educational trip today in Chiba. They’re going to visit some farm.” She says, taking a pen to check the students’ questionnaires. 

Nanami nods in regards, also checking the students’ records while munching a sourdough. Satoru and Utahime’s kid is a lively one and he is pleased to know that the child is courteous and smart. Thankfully Utahime is her mother. Nanami could still remember those (not-so-good) times Satoru used to tag him along with his womanizing in different places in the city and from there he didn’t imagine that guy to settle down. He didn’t care but he also didn’t expect anything. But now that he thinks about it, he’s more than glad that Satoru had settled down and with a respectable woman like Utahime, no less.

Utahime stares at the paper blankly and pauses. For some reason, there’s an urge to take her phone and check her child. But she dismissed the idea and continues to work, thinking she’s just overthinking about nothing.  It'll be fine. She says to herself. She has some worries that Sairi might create a problem along their way, judging how she behaves at times but trusts that the teachers will handle the children accordingly.

However, the impulse remains strange and strong.

The faculty is calm and quiet and cold with only the sound of scribbles and movements of papers could be heard when the door opens widely with an out of breath Ijichi, looking as if he had witnessed the end of the world.

“Nanami-san! Utahime-san! There’s an emergency!”

NHK Local News: A train from Asakusa to Chiba was reportedly hijacked by an unknown individual. A video from a passenger that quickly spread in SNS is currently the only source on what is happening as authorities are still facing difficulties in reaching anyone....Thousands of people are in hysteria after an unknown murders occurs in the city, the same thing from three years ago in Shibuya.....

From the video, a group of children and other passengers are screaming as a man runs amok appearing to have been possessed and is unable to control his thoughts and actions. The man stabs one person and then another with the use of a knife. For public consideration, that part of the video was blurred together with the faces of other passengers. Another video of the city in chaos with people running without directions, crying out for help is shown too. 

It is as if a bucket of cold water was poured down all over Utahime. She is weighed down by all kinds of dread to think straight and speak. She slowly moves away and grabs her phone to call her husband as countless possibilities and fear run in her mind. With shaky hands and a deep breath, she waits until Satoru picks it up and when he does, she doesn't need to say a single word, the timing of her call is spot on. 

Wait for me.

The swarm of cursed spirits continues, deteriorating their hopes to halt the ceaseless operations and danger in the city. The students and sorcerers rarely had time for a normal living. The altered reality, the lives that were spared three years ago, the fate that was supposed to happen - it’s all coming back to bite them in the ass.

“There’s no end to this!” Nobara swings her hammer at the cursed being, its blood splashes on her face and she lets out a groan of disgust. Behind her, Megumi just obliterated a couple of low-grade spirits. 

They are supposedly taking a break but recently there’s just no time for that. The influx is unstoppable and no matter how hard they try, it’s not getting any better.

“I think we need a backup.” Megumi turns to her and breathes out. He looks above and sees a bunch of hunching grotesque creatures from the roof of an abandoned residence. There’s just the two of them in the mission as Yuuji was told to not join because Sukuna is attracting even more cursed spirits through his presence. 

“Good grief,” Nobara follows his gaze, frowning at the entities. “This is exhausting.”

Megumi’s phone rings and he answers it without checking who it is. Most likely one of them who also needs a backup.

“I’ll see what we can do.” after the call, he slips back his phone to his pocket and huffs. Nobara glances at him. “Let’s finish this.” synchronized, they moved towards their enemies. 

That is if there’s truly an end to this.

From another ward:

Her body was thrown at a concrete wall, back first. Maki grips her naginata tightly, refusing to part with it or it’s going to be the end of her. 

“Dammit.” seems like there’s a miscalculation going here. She asked Megumi for backup, telling him that stronger curses popped up in her assigned location. Maki is tasked to operate alone as her abilities can work for it. But something unexpected happened after she called Megumi.

A large, deformed creature that reminds her of Rika-chan appeared and to her surprise it devoured the lower grade curses, chewing them mercilessly.  A special grade? 

It has terrifying claws and long, skinny arms, with eyes black and red. Its teeth are like of a wolf and its head… is like of a man - a former human? But its body is distinct of a monster.

It convulses and growls and pummels the ground like a tantruming child. Maki deflects the attack but the impact sends her crashing down to the ground.  It’s too strong, just what the hell is this?!

Aside from its strength it also comes with great speed and Maki, with her declining stamina from battling continuously since yesterday, failed to read the next attack.

“If I’m 0.2 seconds late, I’m going to lose my left leg!”  she turns over with everything she got, successfully evading the crushing force of the curse’s limbs. The concrete ground shakes and busts open. Maki looks back before jumping away, the cursed tool - her precious naginata broke into several pieces. Now she has no choice but to retreat.

Disarmed, Maki plans an escape. She has to rejoin Megumi and the others so they can plan their next move.

Maki steps back, she hates the idea of backing away from a fight but this is a battle she cannot win alone. Not against this hideous creature in front of her. In her recalculation, it’s an unregistered special grade that’s probably attracting more and more curses in the city. 

“Huh?!” her back meets the hard wall and the realization that she’s cornered registers quickly. Maki looks up and then around.

There’s no escape from this.

The curse makes a deep threatening sound, red eyes flickering with overwhelming killing intent before leaping onto her. Maki’s senses rejecting defeat and death but apparently, everything has an end..

A figure lands at the curse’s crouching back, stabbing it in one go, smashing the floor to smithereens at the force when it hits the ground. Thick smoke of dust conceals her vision and Maki shuts her eyes closed, arms in front of her in defense. 

“Maki, are you alright?” 

Maki lifts her head and peers at the curtain of smoke. Yuuta jumps in front of her, katana in hand, and summons Rika-chan. 

“Yuuta…” 

Yuuta makes a sign with one hand and Rika-chan battles the unknown curse. He observes them warily and detects that it is a former human, maybe a former sorcerer or maybe…

He turns to Maki and faces her. “Are you hurt anywhere?” he asks with that same timid tone that she’s so familiar with. Yuuta steps closer and Maki averts her gaze.

“I-I’m fine, just my weapon…” she looks behind Yuuta to watch the on-going fight. “And what the hell is that?”

Yuuta holds her wrist and takes her to an open area far from the fight. “I’m not sure if Rika-chan could handle that. Its expanding its cursed energy. I have to help.”

“It eats curses and gains more strength from them.” Maki tells.

He glances above his shoulder and sees that Rika-chan is struggling just as he thought. 

“Find Megumi and the others. That curse could be the one herding all the other curses in the city. If we defeat it now, this will end.” Yuuta hands her the katana imbued with his cursed energy. “You’re unarmed so take this.”

“But how about you?” Maki asks. 

The noise the curse and Rika-chan are creating is getting wilder and the buildings in the vicinity are collapsing from their fight. They have to hurry up before the whole city turns into dust.

“I’ll be fine.” Yuuta smiles encouragingly. “Here,” he takes Maki’s hand, making her hold the katana. “Be careful, okay?”

Maki blushes at his words and shifts her gaze. “Y-you idiot, of course! I can handle myself!” 

Yuuta smiles and leans over to give her a gentle, comforting hug. 

“You’re important to me, Maki.” 

She freezes, hands dangling useless at her sides. It is the worst time to show vulnerability, something that Maki never showed to anyone. She always hated the feeling of needing someone and she prided herself that she doesn’t need anyone to defend her, to protect her, to accept her. 

Until Yuuta came.

He pulled back, freeing her from his embrace. A tender expression on both of their faces. Maki stares at him and just like that, her doubts about him prior to this whole mess are gone. 

“You...take care too,” Maki mutters, flustered  before leaving to find Megumi and the others.

Yuuta turns around and gives a glacial glare at the curse, the monster who tried to harm his Maki. His air completely changed revealing his sunless persona.

“Now let’s end this here, Gojo Shigeo.” 

Gray sky looms above her like a silent reminder of what is yet to come. It is no brainer now that the one causing this is none other than Tatsuya. But it leaves the question, how did he know about Sairi’s field trip?

Utahime’s mind wanders back to the estate,  is there a spy among the household?  That’s the only way the enemy would know of it. If that’s the case, which in truth is the best explanation why this is happening, she wonders how long the mole was spying inside. 

Or it could also be Tatsuya himself?

This is not coincidental. Everything is intricately planned from the start. From the stream of uncontrolled curses which purposely exhaust the sorcerers up to this day. The enemy might have been waiting for the perfect moment until today, pushing them at the edge little by little, separating their forces with an ulterior motive.

An ulterior motive…

Utahime slows her pace to catch her breath. She leaves the campus with a vague explanation to Nanami and Ijichi that she has an urgent matter to talk with Satoru outside. She goes as far as she could away from Jujutsu High where Master Tengen’s barrier could not touch them. Everything about the Six Eyes curse remains a secret up to this day to protect the Gojo clan and Sairi’s existence. They couldn’t risk a tiny chance of someone overhearing them.

She reaches empty streets. Utahime places her palms on her knees, out of breath, more because of distress than the actual running. 

She starts connecting the dots: Tatsuya’s target is Sairi and he is aware that the news of the hijacking would spread like wildfire which in turn sends a message, a warning of his plans, and that action would result in Satoru’s arrival.

Utahime comes to the conclusion: Tatsuya is making it happen, the fulfillment of the curse.

“Utahime,” Satoru shows up from behind and Utahime throws her arms to hold him. Satoru catches her trembling body and stares at her brown eyes, filled with fear.

“Sairi...and you…” Utahime’s voice is breathy and cracking. It takes one gaze, one look, and a few words and Satoru understands what she means by that. Words aren’t needed when it comes to their communication. “I don’t want to lose both of you!”

The curse of the Six Eyes is triggered by Tatsuya’s actions and Satoru knows this very well. 

She holds onto him firmly with weakened knees, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. Utahime is a brave woman and they’re trained to deal with absolutes but they are parents and parents prioritize their children above all. Their love for her students is beyond doubt but it will always pale in comparison when it comes to their daughter. This is why, at this very moment, their priorities shift, no matter how urgent the others need them too.

“Everything will be fine,” Satoru says, easing or at least trying to lessen her fears. “I’ll take our daughter back.”

Utahime’s eyes broadened slightly, still holding him. “Take me with you, I want to save her too and to end this curse.”

“No,” 

His rejection sends her into an endless spiral of doubt. She knows that he is the strongest sorcerer, that Satoru is unparalleled but when it comes to the curse, it is something, not even a Six Eyes user could go against and only fate can tell how this will end.

“I wouldn’t want to risk you too or anyone among our friends and families.” Satoru has decided that he will be the one to correct the mistakes of his ancestors and that it is his duty as the strongest. “I promise you...I’ll be back with Sairi.” 

“But it’s a trap!” she retorts despite knowing it is a trap Satoru is willing to take for their daughter.

“If I don’t show up, Tatsuya is going to kill Sairi,” Satoru grits his teeth.  Rui-kun is also on the train.. he orchestrated everything perfectly to ensure that the three of us will end up in one place .  

This is a battle between his curse and the one triggering it to happen. 

Satoru composes himself, collecting his thoughts in order. 

Despite the confident smile on his face, Utahime can tell that even him is unsure of this. There is something in his mind that troubles him but time is critical and she doubts Satoru would tell her.

“Satoru…” 

He presses his lips against her forehead before pulling away, muttering words of assurance before making a hand sign to transport himself where their child is.

“Satoru please-” she holds out a hand to reach him.

...Don’t go…. 

The words didn’t fall from her lips and he vanished before her eyes. Utahime fights the rising worry and discomposure.

A mother is someone who does what needs to be done for their child. Someone who nurtures them, and is willing to make sacrifices for them.

She remembers Koharu’s words years ago, and not until now she understands what it means;

To love and to be a parent means to sacrifice.

Chapter Text

The wind grumbles and the heavens darken in the sky. Once they regrouped, the sorcerers  plan their next move. 

“We will leave that cursed spirit to Okkotsu-kun,” Nanami gathers everyone and evaluates the situation. “Let us face the rest of the enemies while he’s handling it. Divide your teams into two as you wander the city. No one is to operate alone and if you need assistance, call the nearest team near your area.” the man orders.

“Sensei, might be unrelated but aren’t the Kyoto team going to help us?” a second year student asks.

“No. They are facing their own problems in Kyoto.” 

Megumi curses under his breath, beside him are Nobara, Inumaki, Panda, and Maki. This is going to be hard without support from the Kyoto side. Five years ago, they were able to minimize the damages from their side because of them. Even so, they faced so many difficulties back then. 

“Megumi,” Panda leans in to whisper. “Don’t you have any word from the Gojo clan? I know Yuuta is already here but isn’t Satoru going to come too?”

“None. But I’m sure they are going to send people soon.” deep inside, he’s wondering as well where on earth is their sensei at this time. It’s not usual for him to be the one missing in these critical times. Ever since he fully took over the clan and leave his position as teacher in Jujutsu HIgh, Satoru has been completely untouchable by the  Higherups. They cannot boss him around anymore, drawing a line between their standings. 

Despite being a vital part of the establishment of the Jujutsu society, the Three Clans has always been a separate force but maintaining a good relationship between each other is highly important as the pillars of protection of humanity against their common enemies.

Nanami arranged the groupings, pairing the first and second years with the seniors to reduce exposing the younger ones from danger. 

“Inumaki and Panda, you prioritize the evacuation of the civilians, the rest of you, listen to your assigned seniors, and remember to communicate with the other groups.” he looks at two first-year students and tells them to come with him.

“Now go,” the blond man waves a hand at the others. “And do not die.”

The second wave of sorcerers is being arranged back in Jujutsu High. Yuuji looks out from a window, staring at the horizon. He was told to not leave  until everything has settled down and it makes him feel useless not being able to help his friends. But he also thinks it’s the best way to help them since he would only worsen the situation with Sukuna’s presence. 

His focus breaks when someone enters the room.

“Utahime-sensei?”

The woman appears to be disoriented and dazed.

“W-what’s going on?” Yuuji approaches her with apprehension.

Utahime collects herself but her eyes betray her. “This emergency and a few complications. I’ll be going now to assist Kusakabe for the orientation of the second wave.”

“Sensei, you know...you can tell me what it is.” if it’s the only thing he can do for the people around him then so be it. Helping people isn't limited to fighting for them.

“I can listen to your problems and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!” yeah, got to make myself useful too. Yuuji can tell she’s bothered from that look in her eyes.

Utahime has no one to emotionally and mentally support her aside from herself. At this moment, she’s sure that the people back in the Gojo estate have their hands full on supporting the sorcerers in the city. But Utahime doesn’t know if Koharu has been informed of the train incident and that Satoru is on his way now to battle with his curse. It happened all too sudden that they had no time to discuss it. There was no choice for them but to face it head-on.

The burden she feels is heavier than what it actually is. Not surprising if Yuuji noticed it from the very moment she entered the room. 

“I just feel helpless…” she  clasps her hands gently. “My technique could only be used with support from other people and without them, I couldn’t really use it.” It was partly true because her skills depend on people around her but at the same time, it is also an attempt to divert her major worry. How she wishes she could tell Yuuji everything but telling him about the curse of the Six Eyes would only complicate things down the line. 

“Oh,” Yuuji’s shoulders dropped. He can sympathize with that feeling. That reminds him, he hasn’t witnessed Utahime’s technique but he heard that it has something to do with a chant or a song and that it requires a lot of time and assistance. With limited sorcerers handling the incident today, it won’t be possible for Utahime to join the first line of operation.

“But sensei, you can always help in other ways. Nanamin told me before that I don’t need to use physical strength to help people. Sometimes, just by listening to their worries can do a lot too!” he smiles brightly and flinches. “Ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it to make myself feel better because I’m also stuck here.” he bows deeply and apologizes.

Utahime shakes her head. “No, I really appreciate it. I just wish...I have the strength and power like you,”

“Like me?” Yuuji tilts his head. “But it’s Sukuna who is powerful and not me,” he whispers to himself.

“You probably have heard so many times before from Satoru, those times where he used to tease me for being weak.” Utahime sits on the nearest chair, reminiscing about their youth.

 “I was always partnered with Mei back then and when the mission made an unexpected turn, it was a prerequisite to send a backup. Satoru and Geto were the ones who usually come for those who are suspected missing from their missions. And every time, every single time, he claimed to come and help me. I’ve never told him before but the reason why I hated him...was because his strength was making me weak.”

Yuuji just stands there and listens.

“Satoru is the strongest because he can win alone while I am the ‘weakest’ because I need help from others. We’re opposites in almost everything and still end up staying together. Yet after all these years….” Utahime clutches her skirt and dips her head. “Nothing has changed, it’s always him who supports me and I couldn’t..I couldn’t do anything for him…” she bites her trembling lips.

Yuuji gazes at her melancholic. “I don't think that's what Gojo-sensei thinks of you.” 

Utahime lifts her head to look at him.

“Gojo-sensei doesn’t ask to be saved, he just wants one thing and that’s our support. He wants us to believe in him. Me, Fushiguro, Okkotsu-senpai, and many other students too. He helped a lot of people not because he thinks of them of being weak but because it is his duty as the strongest and all he ask for us is to believe in him that he could help us."

Her eyes gleam unable to put her feelings in words from what Yuuji has said. And then it hits her: Satoru wants her to believe in him. He wants her to put all her trust in him. That’s the only thing he is asking from her.

Utahime bites back her negative thoughts, recognizing her mistakes. She is his wife and Sairi’s mother. If anything, she should be the first person who trusts in them, hopes for them and waits for them, no matter what the outcome may be. 

“But I-I didn’t know if I was making any sense!” Yuuji quivers nervously. Just where did those wise words come from? He also wonders what could be the reason why she brought up this topic.

“Thank you, Itadori-kun,” she says sincerely, seeing what she’s lacking. Grateful that Yuuji is there to say those words to her. Maybe it didn’t solve her troubles but it surely did lift her spirit.

  I shall put my trust in them, no matter how hard it is. 

The train accelerates once it reaches a certain point. Satoru analyzes it carefully, an enormous, moving special type of curtain. He recognizes the technique that created it. He floats above, clenching his fists until it turns white. He might be not close to his family as a whole because of their differences but Naomi is one of the few people that he deems trustworthy. 

The first thing he should do is to break the curtain but knowing this is a stolen technique from Naomi, Satoru is aware that it will force him to use drastic measures. He can’t use purple because it might be too powerful and the train together with the passengers including Sairi and Rui will not survive. Blue is the best choice since it can decelerate the movement of the train.

“Alright,” he moves his hand and chants. “Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.” the technique created a portion of space manifesting at the back of his hand, pulling all matters nearby like a vacuum. 

This should suffice…

The wind blows, the clouds disappear leaving a clear blue sky above and a massive jet black curtain below. It starts cracking little by little.

“And a little more…”

Inside the train:

Sairi tumbles and falls dodging each attack that Rui is sending on her way. She is starting to slow down with her very limited stamina.

“Rui! It’s me, Sairi!” 

The possessed boy skillfully swings the daggers cutting a part of her hair in the process. She slips and falls, blood drips on the floor. It's only on that moment she realized that she has been slashed on her forehead.

Tatsuya laughs. 

“Calling out to him won’t do you any good, Sairi-chan,” the man crosses his legs, back leaning on the seat as if watching a really good movie. “You have to use your technique.”

Sairi looks up and sees a suitcase which is hanging loosely from the compartment. She jumps and tugs it then throws it at Rui.

“Rui!” she uses her entire weight in addition to the luggage to push him on the floor, blocking his arms and making him drop the weapons. “Snap out of it!”

Rui’s emerald eyes glint murderously and glower before pushing the suitcase away sending her flying on a vacant seat. Sairi bumps her head on the backseat. It’s no use. She cannot win in a physical battle against Rui. She has to use her head and outsmart him instead.

“Rui- argh!”

The boy grabs her by the neck and lifts her, staring into her amber orbs, wet with tears. 

“I...R-Rui...s-sto..p..” she gasps, kicking her feet. 

“Use your technique, Sairi-chan.” Tatsuya reminds her and glances above. He’s here, finally . His smile appears from his lips. Once Satoru lands here with the Blessed energy activated, it’s going to be the end of him.

He stands from his seat and waves a finger. “Rui-kun, don’t be so rough.” 

From that, Rui drops Sairi coughing and holding her neck with both hands. Tatsuya grabs her hair. 

 “Use your technique and perish in the hands of your anchor or everyone in this train will die.” he warns, pulling the back of her hair with a brutish force so that she would look at him.

Sairi yelps and meets his glare, staring back before spitting on his face.

“What’s that ugly stitches on your forehead, mister?” she asks scornfully, gasping from his clutch.

Tatsuya clicks his tongue and wipes the spit by his other arm before throwing Sairi like a trash bag.

"You’re as disrespectful as your father and as bold as your mother,” Tatsuya says in disgust. “pathetic child.”

The light flickers and the train slows down, jostling everything in a split second. 

Sairi opens her eyes and senses her father’s arrival.

Red light penetrates a fragment of the roof and the pieces of broken metal explode inside. Satoru enters and stands between Tatsuya and his daughter.

“Sairi!” he looks over his shoulder to check his daughter lying helpless on the ground. 

“You’re going to pay for this, Tatsuya.” his fury springs to life.

“Nice to see you again too, Satoru,” Tatsuya replies mockingly. “And welcome aboard.” 

The train doors open and a strong wind breaks in, Rui steps closer at the doors.

“Rui-kun!” 

“Don’t you dare move,” Tatsuya threatens. “one word from me and he’ll jump to his death.”

“Leave the children alone. If it’s me that you want, face me alone!” Satoru yells.

“I’m not stupid enough to fight you one on one,” he scowls. “If I could, I wouldn’t lure you here and use the curse to work in my favor.”

“You accepted that thing in your head, betrayed everyone you hold dear including your family and humanity.” the white-haired sorcerer says. “all because of power?”

“Wrong,” 

Satoru has no idea if it’s Tatsuya or Brain who is speaking. Regardless, they seem to be compatible because Tatsuya is the type of man who would willingly sell his soul to the devil in exchange for something.

“Because I want to change the system. We just have different means. To do that, I have to start with our pathetic family.” now he’s sure that it is Tatsuya who is talking. “The Three Clans, the Jujutsu Higherups, the sorcerer world, you can’t change it if you don’t start at the very bottom. It starts with the one you can control the most but have you thought about it? No, because you’re not affected by the unfairness of the clan’s system. Because you are the Six Eyes user and everyone bows down to you, scared of you, respects you.”

Satoru remembers Geto’s words from the past, something he couldn’t answer back then; are you the strongest because you are Gojo Satoru or you are Gojo Satoru because you are the strongest?

“See, I can understand the people more unlike you who’s sitting on a pedestal. The thing in my head wants to build a world of sorcerers, a dream it shared with your former best friend. Maybe if you were able to understand the people close to you, you could have saved them.”

“You-” Satoru’s jaws clenched in anger at the mention of his friend. But he could not deny that there is a truth in Tatsuya’s statement. 

“I must erase your existence first together with your child before I proceed with my plans. You may be the strongest, but you can’t do much here,”

The girl stands wobbly, a streak of blood on her face.

“Sairi-chan, you have to choose wisely. Activate your blessed energy and everything will be over.” 

Satoru turns to see his daughter and they lock eyes.

“Daddy,” she steps forward but sees Rui from the open door and hesitates. “Rui!”

“You can cancel my technique and it will save your precious friend. You want that, right?” Tatsuya raises a hand and points it at Rui. “Or I’ll push him.”

“No, don’t-”

“Then do as I say.” 

Sairi looks at her father, frightened and confused, putting her shaky hands together to make a seal.

Satoru’s face softens. 

“Sairi, remember what I told you before?” he knows how torn his daughter is with their situation. “That no matter what path you choose, your mother and I will always support you.”

Sairi stares at him mystified. She can’t remember a conversation where she had heard those statements from his father. But somewhere deep within her soul, she understands it completely.

“The choice is yours, Sairi.” Satoru smiles, putting his trust in his daughter. He has faith in her and no matter what her decision is, he will accept it. 

Gold light snakes around Sairi’s arms until it covers most of her body, activating her blessed technique.

Tatsuya smiles smugly and makes Rui step backward more.

Meanwhile, the  train makes a turning point and accelerates passing onto a cliff. Satoru holds his gaze at Sairi.

Sairi cries. “This means I can hurt you too...daddy,” there is a narrow distance between her and Satoru before she reaches Tatsuya. That would mean she will eventually expose her father with her blessed energy, ultimately canceling his cursed energy. But she can't allow it, she doesn't want to do it...because she knows it can kill him.

Until a crazy idea pops in her mind and Sairi swallows before getting into action. She knows that her father couldn’t make a move against the enemy with them around and to give him space to do that...she must give him an opening. She has to sacrifice a few things to turn the situation in their side. 

....you're a smart kid, Sairi-chan, and even though you have limited stamina, you have the brains to think of a wise decision... 

Yuuta's voice rings in her head.

“Do it now!” Tatsuya barks. “Or…”

In a flash, Sairi leaps to Rui and pushes the two of them outside the train. Both Satoru and Tatsuya are astounded, seeing as the children are free-falling onto the cliff.

“SAIRI!” Satoru moves to save them and suddenly halts. He must prioritize to exorcise Tatsuya first because he might take this chance to escape.

"That kid...she's crazy!" Tatsuya shrieks. Did she just give up on life and willingly tag her friend to her doom?!

He had no time to process what happened. This was totally unexpected coming from a five year old child. He was too upset and caught off guard to sense Satoru’s movements.

“You’re finished.” Satoru declares flashing in front of Tatsuya and grabs his collar. He must bring the fight outside to lessen the casualties inside the train. 

Tatsuya deactivated his technique to focus on fighting Satoru, he grips the other man’s arms away from him but Satoru hurls him outside violently, creating another hole on the train’s roof.

“I had regrets…” drifting above, the strongest sorcerer faces his enemy. “But the difference of you and me is I acknowledge them,”

“I have no regrets!” Tatsuya bellows, blind to his faults until the last time.

“Then this will make you have one.” Satoru snaps his fingers creating blue and red. He has to exorcise him this time. It’s now or never.

Tatsuya attempts to flee when the Brain argues with him inside his head. “1000 years.. I waited for 1000 years to fulfill my dreams! You told me that the curse will work in your favor!”

“You shut the fuck up! You are nothing without the bodies you possessed! 

“Fighting with your friend there?” Satoru says slyly. “The moment you planned this, you already failed.” he glances below and catches his breath seeing Sairi holds the unconscious Rui while grasping a metal beam from the railway.

“What?”

“Because my daughter….”

Hollow Purple.

“Is now a better version of her past self.”

A devastating bolt of bright purple light obliterates the sky together with Tatsuya. Wiping him out of existence without fail. Finally, he exorcised their biggest threat.

"Maybe if you were able to understand the people close to you, you could have saved them."

Satoru lets out a dry laugh, he can't believe Tatsuya was making sense.

Down below, Sairi tires herself out and lets go of her grasp, falling so fast together with Rui. Satoru immediately activates his teleportation technique when his movements falter.

“What the…” Sairi’s earlier activation of her blessed energy and his very minor exposure to it affects the flow of his cursed energy and instead of lessening only a small portion of it with the help of Six Eyes, it actually ate up a lot of his energy when he used Purple. 

Shit! I have to hurry!  panic surges throughout his body.

Rui wakes up with his head upside down. He looks above him and sees Sairi plummeting like him.

“Sairi!” he takes her arm and their positions are reversed as they fall through the air. 

“Rui, are we going to die?” 

The boy grabs her body and keeps her close to him. 

Ten seconds before they hit the ocean.

Sairi looks at the massive body of water below when a brief recollection of a distant memory flashes before her eyes. She turns her head, her hair whipping in her face at the merciless wind.

“In the end, I’m glad I’m with you!”

Emerald eyes dilated and shone. Why you... his words stuck in his throat. Where did he hear that statement before?

Nine…

Eight…

Seven….

“This feels like-”

The children feel a sudden pull. Rui’s shirt is tugged by a force from high up. He looks above and sees Sairi’s father, gasping and floating as he holds him tight.

“Daddy!” Sairi calls out.

Satoru sighs in great relief and smiles. That was a close call! it was a good thing that Rui is holding Sairi otherwise he would need to take them separately.

“Okay kids, hang on tight!” he breathes in, filling his lungs with air. I wonder how far my remaining cursed energy goes. “And Sairi,”

“Yes?” the little girl tilts her head.

“Control your technique while I transport us, okay?”

“Okay!”

The sorcerers dominated the battle soon as Yuuta defeated the transfigured form of Gojo Shigeo. With the help of the second force led by Utahime and the Three Clans, they were able to clean up the majority of the city.

“Yuuta!” Maki runs to Yuuta, seeing him filthy and grimy after the fight. 

“Leaf Mustard!” Inumaki and Panda follow behind.

They surround him, asking several questions at once. As it turns out, fighting without his sword wasn’t much of a problem, although he had to admit that it’s easier to fight with a weapon. 

“Here,” Maki returns his sword. “Thank you for lending me this.”

“Tuna tuna!” Inumaki points at Yuuta’s face.

“Oh? You were pale before we got here, but now your face is reddening!” Panda teases. This of course earns a glare coming from Maki.

“Really now? In this situation?!” she raises her fists at Panda and Inumaki. Yuuta laughs at them in delight.

“I’m glad you guys are fine.” 

From behind, Megumi is rushing to them as if he’s being chased together with Nobara.

“Maki! Yuuta-senpai!” upon arriving, he tells them the incident about Sairi and Rui’s field trip. Maki struggles for air imagining the worst scenario. Rui may be able to defend himself and Sairi but they are still children and their skills are still no match against full-pledged sorcerers.

“Gojo-sensei came to them.” Megumi says.

“WHAT?!” Yuuta’s panic alerts them as well. They all wonder what’s with that reaction.