Chapter Text
MIKAZUKI DROVE ALL THE WAY BACK TO NIKOโS HOME, the familiar streets of Mita blurring past her. It had been a while since she last visited, having spent most of her time at the hospital by her sisterโs bedside or simply busy performing her duties as a special-grade sorceress. The car ride was mostly silent, with Niko occasionally giving directions or commenting on the traffic. It was odd and eerie for the eldest Kinzoku to be like this, but Mikazuki didnโt want to bring any more attention to her sisterโs strange behaviour, especially when she could feel a lecture looming in the distance.
Kinzoku Niko had always been like that; always playing the part of the elder sister even long after she forsook her family name. To her; Mikazuki would always be her sweet little sister. But they were also incredibly similar, too. Mikazuki would never be the oldest sister while Niko lived, and yet, that was the role sheโd somehow acquired once her sister was cast away.
Jujutsu society was cruel like that; bestowing upon someone the role meant for someone else. Despite the tension between them, there was an unspoken understanding, a bond that had grown stronger over the years. The kind of bond that couldnโt be erased, no matter how hard the Kinzoku clan tried.
As they pulled into the driveway, Mikazuki marvelled at the house. This wasnโt the first time visiting, but it certainly stole her breath away whenever she saw that tiny slice of heaven. Niko lived in a suburban neighbourhood in a somewhat-expensive area of Mita, the kind where large villas and well-kept houses lined the streets, grass perfectly cut into neat squares with tall bamboo bushes at every corner. The house was two stories high, not overly opulent but certainly above average. Its architecture was a blend of Mediterranean influences, with terra cotta roof tiles and white stucco walls adorned with climbing plants like lavender and vines.
It was the kind of home Mikazuki had always dreamed of a stark contrast against the golden stillness of Kogane manor or the Kinzoku Estate. It was a real home, not just four walls thrown together and a thousand screams trapped inside. There were no ghosts here, no sins of their forebearers. Just calm. Peace and quiet. It was so unlike any of them Mikazuki would have laughed were it not for the lump currently sitting in her throat.ย
The house hadnโt been a cheap buy, and although it had been a long while, the Kinzoku still remembered when she bought the property for her sister. A place where Niko could thrive, where the kids could grow. A home for the long lost, a place for a real family and not whatever monster the Kinzoku pretended to stitch together in terms of bloodline. If her father could see this placeโฆ oh, how repulsive would he find it. This only made Mikazuki realise just how right sheโd been to do this in the first place. Aย realย home for aย realย family.
All of that would soon be gone, now. Or at least that was the plan, wasnโt it?
James hadnโt particularly appreciated the handout, but it was a small price to pay when heโd gained a couple of identical twins to call his own instead. He was a man of pride, had been long before he and Niko fell in love, and although he didnโt understand a single thing about the way the Jujutsu society worked, he did understand family well enough not to ask questions and to do whatever it took to protect what was now his.
Mikazuki got out of the car and hurried around to help Niko. With one arm around her sisterโs waist and the other steadying her arm, they made their way to the front door. Niko leaned heavily on Mikazuki, her broken legs making each step a struggle. She felt heavy, pain radiation through her entire body with each agonising step. She knew it would be hard, but sheโd certainly never imagined it would feel like this. Nikoโs spine was on fire, as were her mended bones; from her crooked feet to her still-shattered kneecaps.
Once inside, Mikazuki guided her to the living room, where she carefully helped her sister lay down on the sofa. Everything about the place was so Niko coded, her sister might have smiled were it not for the cruel memory etched into the back of her mind, the visual of it haunting her every day and night. Niko, being held by two Windows in that exact same sofa, their father looming over her with a wooden baseball bat. Some lessons were harsher than others. At least, on that day, Mikazuki had gotten the reminder she needed. Never trust a man made of gold.
Nikoโs face contorted with pain, and Mikazukiโs heart ached. It was always hard to see her sister in pain, but more than anything, it was the vicious reminder that she was the reason for it. Her mistakes. Her punishment. And yet, somehow, Niko was the one paying the price. Exceptโฆ was she? Wounds would heal, bones would mend. Mikazukiโs mind, on the other hand, was forever changed.
So much hatred simmering under the surface, the thirst for golden blood nearly unbearable. She had a plan; one sheโd executed almost perfectly. A part of the Kinzoku wanted to throw it all away just to gut Asahi like a fish. Then maybe this beast living inside of her that thirsted for chaos would be satisfied. Or maybe it would go hunting for more. It was hard to tell, these days.
โIโm going to get you some painkillers.โ She said gently as she draped a throw blanket over her sisterโs shivering form. โWhere do you keep them?โ
โIn the kitchen.โ Niko replied, her voice strained. โTop left cabinet.โ
Mikazuki nodded and made her way to the kitchen. The room was spacious and well-lit, with modern appliances and a large island in the centre. She found the cabinet and retrieved the painkillers, filling a glass with water before heading back to the living room. She handed Niko the glass and the pills. Her movements were short and mechanic, completely devoid of emotion. Whether she was forcing herself to be like this or whether it was her natural reaction, it was impossible to tell.
โHere, take these.โ Mikazuki spoke calmly, sobriety slowly taking over the remnants of her drunken haze. โThey should help.โ
Niko took the pills gratefully, swallowing them with a gulp of water. As she settled back against the cushions, Mikazuki perched on the armrest of the sofa, watching her sister with concern. It was always hard to reconcile the image she had made up of Niko in her mind, especially because she hadnโt completely come up with it out of thin air. Once upon a time, Kinzoku Niko had been the greatest sorceress of her promotion. Once upon a time, she had burned as bright at the sun. And yet, here she was now, basically powerless, at the mercy of everyoneโs games, with Asahi pulling at the strings behind the theatre. Mikazuki hated every second of it, but most of all, she hated herself for allowing such a thing to happen to her older sister.ย I was supposed to protect you. Sheโd never said, already knowing what Nikoโs reply would be. Protect me? She cocked her head to the side, a small smile playing on her rosy lips.ย Iโm the older sister silly, thatโs my job.
It was Keisukeโs job, too, and look where that got him.
Why did everyone tasked with protecting Mikazuki end the exact same way? Six feet under and without a single soul to mourn them? The Kinzoku was tired of it. Tired in the same way grief hollowed her eyes out. Tired in the same way her soul grew heavy with each breath. Tired in the same way she hungered for golden blood to be spilled. After all, this was all her familyโs fault. What was it someone once said?
Like father, like daughter. Like mother, like monster.
Mikazuki shook her head, threads of grey lifeless hair falling over her golden eyes as she spirited these thoughts away.
โAre you sure you can handle picking up the twins from summer camp?โ The younger Kinzoku asked, her voice soft but insistent while one arm rested on her sisterโs shoulders in an attempt to appear reassuring. โYou canโt quite drive yet.โ
As a matter of fact, it would take months for Kinzoku Niko to even think of standing on her own again, let alone to drive. But that was a harsh reality for another day, today was all about what could be done in the moment. Niko tried to muster a reassuring smile, the gesture falling short halfway as a flash of pain climbed up her spine.
โI can handle it.โ She said, but her voice lacked conviction. As did the look in her dull golden-brown irises.
Mikazuki would never get used to that. So oddly foreign yet also recomforting. The Kinzoku fire was still in there โ always would be, it was impossible to pretend to take away every morsel of cursed energy โ but it was merely an ember, a reminder of the power that had once inhabited that immense well of potential. In her wildest dreams, Mikazuki shared those same unremarkable eyes. To her, they were a gift; the kind she would never pretend to be worthy enough to receive. No, she was doomed from the start.
โYouโre lying.โ The grey-haired sorceress let out, her words carrying a hint of that annoying know-it-all attitude that used to drive her sister insane. โLet me do it. Itโs no trouble.โ
Niko bit her lower lip, the words โthatโs not the issue, thoughโ almost falling from her mouth before quickly swallowing them back down. That was a road she refused to walk down, at least for now. But, unfortunately for her, the Kinzoku was right. Niko must have felt this, because although the idea of Mikazuki getting the twins did not please her in the least, she still huffed out a long sigh. She couldnโt drive for shit, and, even if for some miracle she could have managed to do so, she still had a move to plan. Uprooting her entire life just to give her sister a chance.
No, thatโs a lie. Her mind supplied, something akin to hope slithering through her defences. To give all of us a chance. Her; the twins, her husband and everyone who had ever been wronged by the Kinzoku greed. Niko hesitated, then nodded slowly.
โOkay.โย
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