Chapter 5: Sachiko, Six Eyes and Heavenly Restriction
Summary:
Sachiko and Satoru are hand-picked for a VIP mission and fly to Osaka.
They are tasked to investigate one of Master Tengen's libraries and find more than just rolls of parchment inside.
After experiencing a slight panic attack, Gojo takes Sachiko on a short tour making them realize that their tedious, dangerous and emotionally draining role as Jujutsu Sorcerers is easily managed by the right company.
They both grow closer together, leaving a member of their group, to contemplate on his own efforts to even out the playing field.
"Welcome aboard Jujutsu Sorcerers," a male and female attendant had greeted them at the passenger boarding bridge, they both plastered a big smile as they stood tall and directed them inside.
The boy with the dark rimmed shades was skipping inside, wide-eyed with excitement as he had never been on a plane, and he didn't imagine that he'd ever ride a private one. He was barely listening to the orientation of the attendants and instead took it upon himself to tinker with whatever he came across the ambient interiors.
This lightened Sachiko's mood. It was nice to think that he still found joy in his work and education and at times, that made her envious of his outlook.
Though he was part of one of the most prolific families in the Jujutsu realm, the Gojos were relatively a modest household compared to the others and though he does get compensation for the missions he completes, it wasn't a secret that the reason they couldn't rise to the first rank was their limit when it came to wealth.
Much like him, she grew up in a household where money was equivalent to achievement. Her aunt and uncle were successful white-collar professionals and merit to them was important. Not that she got to part-take in their fruits of labor though, but she was made at least, comfortable-in the very least-when she stayed with them.
The Miura estate was a whole other world. Everyone there had treated her like a princess, but she never got used to that kind of set-up. All people she met within the confines of the Miuras were all decent people and her assertion to work within the household, even in the most trivial of chores only made her stay with them meaningful. At least there, no one treated her like a stranger even though she thought she was.
But she remembered the first year of her new life with her grandfather. His kindness made all the difference. He became a beacon of light to her that allowed her to experience the same type of bewilderment and joy in the simplest of things. She noticed Gojo Satoru's look. She was that before, in her own reflection.
They were lucky that one of the sorcerers who commissioned their services was very wealthy. He was a cursed-weapon forger and object curator and as there were very few of them in active service, he was sought after. He had an establishment in Osaka and one of his windows had reported the strange activity of the bat-like creatures flocking to one of Master Tengen's libraries. The recent events had led to a decline in his business, so it came natural for him to seek the help of the two institutions.
The Kyoto academy had declined his request upon verifying the Tengen's requirement for entry into his library. As to the specifics, Yaga left it out of his orientation for the students.
Sachiko had removed her mask as soon as she was directed to her cubicle. It was spacious enough that it was equipped with a small bed and even a pull-through table. On its sides were controls for the screen for music and movies and a buzzer for assistance from the staff but the best part was that it provided privacy.
It had only been a few days since her last mission so the jetlag from it was still evident in her skin. A lot of the Kitsune markings appeared on her limbs that if she hadn't worn a long-sleeved shirt, her sleeve could have easily been mistaken for tattoos. She let out a long yawn but covered her mouth to control the noise. After securing her small bag on the bunk and placing her phone in her breast-pocket, she relaxed her legs on the soft beddings and unraveled her hair. The strands that fell on her shoulders were a mixture of black and white, but she did note that highlights were less than she used to have. Which was a good sign of her dominance in terms of cursed energy.
Fluffing the pillow beside her, she turned sideways and felt her upper eye lids slowly drop but before she could land on her side, a pair of blue eyes and a bushy-clump of white hair popped on top of her cubicle, making her straighten up and groan.
"MIURA-CHAN!"
"Yess, Gojo-san?" she said, half-irritated.
"Oh, were you about to sleep? But we're just about to take off! Besides its only-" he took out his phone to check the time, "5 in the morning…"
She swung her legs to the end of the bed and looked at him with her rather expressionless pale face, "Sorry, just wanted to get some shut-eye en route. Aren't you still sleepy?"
His face disappeared from peering on the partition as he transferred to lean on the cubicle's opening holding out a box of those Meiji Apollo strawberry-chocolates, "Nope! Couldn't sleep since 1 AM thinking about what I'm gonna buy as souvenirs," he lifted the box up and down as if to urge her to take some.
She shrugged her shoulders then reached out to get a piece but before she could place her fingers inside the box, he grabbed her hand and dropped the contents on her palm. She chuckled nervously then furrowed her brows, "Thanks…"
Satoru gave her a thumb's up after beaming, "Sure! I'm gonna refill my stock at the market anyway,"
"Right," she popped two pieces in her mouth then asked for the box so she could return the contents and save them for later.
His expression turned from glee to wonder. He wrinkled his nose then tapped his chin before tilting his head to the side and narrowing his vision, "Hm…you look better with your hair loose," he said, nonchalantly.
Sachiko quickly placed her hair in one side of her shoulder, "Oh, thanks," he didn't respond to her quip and instead blinked two-three times as he tried to focus, "Was there anything else?" she could sense that he was still trying to adjust to her curse energy's projection which she was sure was currently unstable, but he was just polite enough not to comment.
He shook his head and looked to the side as she shifted his glasses, "Nope, just wanted to check on 'ya, anyway, I'm gonna go watch the plane lift off from the window, do you think I can do that without wearing my seatbelt,"
"I'm afraid not,"
He clicked his tongue, "But where's the fun in that?"
She scoffed, "It's a safety precaution dummy,"
Caught off guard by her words he couldn't help but cackle as he turned, "I'll wake you up when we land,"
"Thanks,"
Sachiko finally let her back rest on the small bed. Her eyes shut as soon as her head hit the pillow. She felt the plane move as soon as the pilot had informed them of the lift off. At her periphery, the sunrise was already creeping in her little corner, but she couldn't help but give in to the call of her body to rest while she could.
"Whoa! We're really flying!"
Despite the voice of her funny companion invading her quiet, she couldn't help but smile and be grateful that she wasn't alone on this mission.
"Osaka houses the Library of Lost Articles. As you both know, Master Tengen has conditions for entry, so we don't exactly know where it is. We've tried searching every building of this place but the closest we got is by following the curses' migration," he paused to examine the expression of the Tokyo students in his rearview mirror as he drove. The transporter was the son of a retired jujutsu sorcerer who was likely in his forties. He was quite lanky, and his eyes were lost in his spectacles, but he was a powerful medium who worked for the weaponry.
As soon as they entered Shisenkai before noon, they were greeted by streams of color from banners, mascots and even the people were all dressed to enjoy the festivities. Gojo had imagined that the bokeh of lights at night would probably provide a good photo-opportunity if they stayed a while.
The transporter pulled down his side window and gave out last minute instructions, "The curses usually jump from one host to another and disappear off to the tower. You two can go ahead and check that place out. We closed it for the day and," he gave Sachiko a long look, "Call us if anything is amiss," he gave her a slight nod, "…we're loyal to the creed," His parting words affirmed her suspicion that he was also an affiliate of the Miuras in Osaka but she wasn't sure if which faction of the clan he was connected to.
Gojo cocked his brow, "Loyal to the creed?"
"He's a Miura follower, he meant the teachings of the Golden Fox," she said without expounding.
He nodded slightly then proceeded to tear off a piece of gum and pop it in his mouth as they walked to the Tower.
Principal Yaga had allowed them to go to Osaka without supervision but also secretly instructed Gojo to be prepared to 'handle' Sachi should she lose control. He just simply went along with his instruction but he was quite confident that she wouldn't cause any trouble. The both of them had been training together and have at least elevated to a comfortable type of companionship and not once did she display any rogue characteristics. It was clear that she was just plastered with a stigma because she was stronger than any of the higher-ups and her inexperience was key to controlling her activities.
"Look," Sachiko pointed towards one of the fly-heads who was jumping from one person to another causing a stir in the crowd. It was following one of the bats towards its swarm. She tightened the string behind her head to secure her mask and they both increased their pace as they followed their path.
Gojo noticed a strong collision of cursed energy that became a beacon for the winged curses. He looked around was quick to notice a forming veil around the tower, "Let's hurry!"
Going against the flow during the rush hour of noon was quite a hassle for the young sorcerers and was more tedious was having to exorcise those creatures without displaying too much of their technique.
Eventually, they made it to the entrance of the Tsuntekaku Tower. The flock circled around them causing a strong gust of wind that pushed them back a few feet. Seeing as the veil was closing, the Gojo boy lifted his hand and released a wave of cursed energy which instantly turned them into particles. This gave Sachiko the chance to shift the wind and use her own technique to pull them inside the veil before it closed.
The impact of her technique left them momentarily out of breath as they landed on their backs. They quickly peered behind them and witnessed as the doors shut leaving out any of the small curses.
Gojo's glasses were dangling from one side of his ear when turned to his classmate and grinned in between panting, "Nice team work,"
He was rewarded with a nod and he could see from the squint of her eyes through the mask that she was also beaming, "Yeah," she took Gojo's hand as he helped her up.
Miura's attention shifted to the tower's interiors. There was a mixture of steel and modernized areas meant to ease accessibility to every floor but what she found notably curious was the fact that it was a glass-house. It was quite eerie that despite the it being only half-past noon, there was no natural light that penetrated through the windows.
They could hear a few stomping and stalking sounds linger through the vacant halls and they did expect that they would have to exorcise a few curses along the way but their main objective was to find the entrance to the library.
"Let's get to work shall we?" she placed a hand on the chin part of her mask and tugged the strings away from her mask.
Gojo smirked as he placed his glasses in his breast pocket and waited for her to activate her Kitsune sight. He could only look at the transition through the reflection on the glass. It was already intriguing that she had crimson eyes but to see her pupils morph into crescentic slits was something else. Her eyes were like glowing marbles trapping flames as she blinked. It was a sort of beautiful chaos that looked directly at his own reflective pair of lenses.
Sachiko saw her reflection clearly on Satoru's eyes. It was like glowing frost that encased the sky. A total opposite depiction of hers.
They both broke their stares as soon as Gojo blinked. He placed a hand on the back of his head, "So, anything?"
Kitsunes were known for their heightened senses. Their eyes were notably sharp when it came to otherworldly or for the lack of a better term magical type of aura. Unlike other sorcerers, their sight was almost equal when it came to sensitivity to cursed energy as the Six-eyes but couldn't influence their offensive techniques as the Gojo family's innate skill could.
"Whoa, this whole place is enchanted," she traced the markings on the walls like they were etched with talismans. Taking a few steps ahead of him, she followed the markings on the floor which were swimming with cursed energy, "Can you see them?"
Gojo nodded, "Yeah. Some of the markings have heavier cursed energy around them. I think we should follow those,"
Sachiko couldn't distinguish between the energies that he described but from what he had been telling her, it may be something that only he could see. The enchantments to her were just floating symbols and letters of white.
They found themselves at the 3rd floor of the tower where a small café was erected. Gojo's face lightened up at the sight of the parfait machines and the various sugar-laced treats.
She sighed and continued to survey the area as tinkered with the machines.
There were few sigils in that area but she felt the air grow heavy. It was concerning that they have walked on three floors without so much as passing by any curses despite detecting various energies from them.
She began looking at the paintings and noticed that some of them didn't cast any shadows with their frames,
"Projections," she confirmed her theory upon examining the edges of the paintings parallel to the floor, "I think I've found something,"
Gojo strode towards her with a mouth full of cookie crumbs and a palm full of other treats which he offered to her but was politely refused. She snorted at the sight of his dirty mouth and poked his cheek, "You done yet?"
He simply laughed and used his sleeve to wipe his face clean, "Hm…" he flexed his neck and tilted to the sides as he looked at the paintings, "Yup, this is definitely some sort of portal. See those red marks?" he made a frame with his hands and zoomed out, "It's a sealing spell,"
Sachiko squinted her eyes and couldn't visualize the enchantments he was pointing out. All she could see was the white light bouncing from one painting to another, "All I can see are dispersed cursed energy runes. They're blinking in white-there, there and there-" she turned to her partner now who was playing with his lips.
"Eh? I don't see those," he pinched his nose then playfully caught his balled fist on his palm, "Maybe we have to combine what we see! I mean, this is why we were brought here,"
"Right. And if with any luck, this could actually be Tengen's library."
Gojo described that the sigils on the wall seemed to have some sort of pattern in them. He was scribbling on his phone the patterns that he saw and soon, in some strange way, Sachiko was able to make sense of it,
"It kind of looks like a puzzle box pattern, you know, one of those-" she was trying describe the rectangular object with her hands but the look on Gojo's face was quite distant. She wasn't sure if he was ignoring or was more confused by her words.
"Oh yeah! Those uh wooden boxes-" he mimicked her movements making her iffy, "Where you slide a few panels and bam, they open right?"
She cocked a brow and snarled, "Uh, yeah so we have to figure out if there's some sort of pattern. The sigils I see aren't like those though but I think they have a specific arrangement depending on what we could built up on yours," she sketched what she saw in the best of her ability to overlap over the pattern he had already showed her and true enough it was forming a shape of a door.
They began rearranging the sigils that were both invisible to each other and concentrated using as little cursed energy as they could to keep their position secret from the lingering curses. Miura half-admitted to herself that she always thought that the Gojo-boy was all brawn but in fact, he was quite brainy himself. The puzzle didn't complicate him but both of them were left aghast at not getting any response from their efforts after completing the puzzle except for activating the silhouette of a door.
"I'll go first," Gojo rolled his sleeve then began to push the door open, "Huh?" The door wouldn't budge despite trying a few times. When Sachiko came to help, an electric-type of shock repelled their entry.
"Ouch," she said as she shook off the pain, "I didn't expect it to be easy but at least we found the entrance,"
Gojo's olfactory cells activated upon smelling a gas or oil-like type of smell. He noticed that his barely electrocuted hand was quite slimy. He took a whiff of his hand and showed it to his companion, "It's oil,"
Sachiko rubbed her fingers together and nodded at him before wiping it on her sleeve. Gojo pointed towards the middle of the door and spoke,
"It is useful to first see the spark before the fire,"
"A proverb?"
"Yup, its engraved in the middle. What do you think it could mean?"
"Let me try something," she positioned her right arm into a benediction then her left palm was supinated until a small ball of flame appeared. She directed her flame towards a few panels making the door creak.
He gave her a thumb's up, "Cool! Do that again, maybe we have to burn our way in,"
She summoned bigger flames now then spread throughout the frame but despite sensing the door respond, it didn't open. The walls however began to drip with more oil.
"Damn," he spat in the air, "Really thought that would work. Let me try," Gojo released cursed energy towards all the blinking pieces but it quickly spat back the attack and they evaded the feedback. They heard some screeches coming from the walls which made them conclude that curses were trapped within the sigils on the walls.
A flicker of light that bounced from one puzzle piece to another caught her attention, "I can see some blinking lights over them but they light up at different times. It could be another pattern. I'm having a little trouble with the sequence,"
Gojo grinned, "I can't see the it but perhaps I can help you with figuring out the pattern,"
"How?"
"Team work of course!" He placed one hand inside his pocket then the other held out his index finger. She felt a wave of curse energy flow through him and soon concentrated on top of his finger, "I'll slow down time for you so you can do your thing,"
His face lit up as he gathered his cursed energy to perform his technique, Sachiko took a few steps back but even from a small distance, she could still marvel at the frost that became more apparent with his technique. She diverted her attention to the lights now.
"Ready Miura-san?"
Holding flames within her palms she narrowed her eyes to concentrate, "Yes,"
Satoru Gojo first released a small amount of cursed energy to activate the curses on the wall and as soon as it fedback towards him, he activated his technique, "Infinity," he said.
The six-tailed kitsune soon found herself within his simple domain. He was allowing her to see what he could see and true enough because of his technique, time slowed down which allowed her to follow the sequence of the blinking lights and simultaneously send flames towards the puzzle pieces. She didn't quite know how she was able to respond to his technique and utilize her own in the process but one thing that she was sure of was that the boy with the Six-eyes
Was sure of his actions.
As soon as she hit the last panel, the curses trapped inside the sigil disintegrated and the door creaked open.
Sachiko was still marveling on Gojo's casual display of his technique. His control was incredible. He could have easily influenced her actions inside the domain of his technique but she was free to move, because, he simply willed it.
There was no noise that followed the opening of the door. It was probably 12 feet high but it was a mere 4 inches that allowed their entry. It was awfully quiet. Gojo took the lead and pushed the door to create a wider entrance. There was instant wave of cursed energy that pierced through them as they took their first breath inside. It was pitch black.
Sachiko noticed that there was a smell of burnt rubber near them and Gojo's footing was starting to create noise as if stepping a puddle. It was horrifying to think of the possibility of stepping inside a pool of blood but in their world, the chances were high.
Hssssssshhhhhhh!
A sinister hiss and stomping was echoing all around them. Gojo was able to visualize a figure of a man which a long face. Its dark eyes were already fixated on them.
"Miura-san, its above us,"
"I can't see it clearly, is it a curse?"
"I'm not sure but it has cursed energy but it doesn't seem like Tengen would taint his library with evil creatures,"
"Should we keep moving?"
"Yes, I'll keep an eye on it but we have to light this place soon,"
"I think we're stepping on oil and I can smell burnt-" Sachiko stumbled as bumped into something causing the harpy-like creature to take a few paces closer towards them.
"Miura! You okay?"
Sachiko used the light on the phone to shine on what she had hit. She finally had an answer to the source of the smell, it was corpse. Sachiko quickly removed the books that fell on the corpse to check if there was any identification but Gojo warned her not to touch it as the creature might have left some remnants of its power.
As Gojo shone light on the floor, he saw a sea of water tinged in blood just as he suspected, with pages of books scattered all over. Sachiko stood now and watched as Gojo's light source revealed more bones and corpses.
"I think I know the reason behind Master Tengen's requirements," he spoke with much caution.
Miura gritted her teeth. They were special grades with very distinct techniques that would fulfill the Star's requirements for entry and if anyone could survive it, it would be them, "And why the Kyoto team wouldn't come, it's because of that thing." She continued, pointing towards the ceiling.
Miura turned to her partner, "We have to get rid of it if we want to proceed,"
"Yup,"
Sachiko summoned the flames in her hands which alerted the Tengu.
Gojo readied his stance, "Whoever kills it first, gets to pick where we eat!"
Sachiko smirked, "Deal, I'll be damned if I eat another dessert for a meal,"
Miura released enough small, steady, flames to give them a good visual at the library. It looked like they were in one of those story-book archives with a giant staircase, painted ceilings and well-crafted wooden shelving and dainty chandeliers but their page was more lifted from a crime scene report than Beauty and the Beast. And the beast that greeted them didn't come to sing.
The Tengu was shaped like a winged-giant with a beak for its nose but it had features that were similar to humans. Satoru was right when he thought that it didn't register as a cursed spirit but its feel did seem familiar to Miura.
"It's a cursed doll!" she yelled out.
"Well then, if that's the case, there's no need to hesitate," Gojo climbed on one of the tall book shelves so it could level itself to the Tengu. He clasped his hands together and turned his cursed energy towards him and shifted it to a blue form of cursed energy similar to the technique he displayed earlier. Though he was concentrating on using his energy towards the beast, Sachiko knew that if she was right, he was creating a vacuum that could suck in anything and everything within the set radius including the sacred texts and the corpses near him.
Miura took a quick breath and went to his side speedily. She positioned her hand into a benediction and rested it in her palm before turning her palm to face the floor, "Simple domain, ruined earth,"
She had isolated a small part of the area within her domain to limit the effects of Gojo's technique. She wasn't sure if it would work but she needed to try and be the level-headed one in this situation.
Gojo cackled at the realization of her unexpected assistance, "Thanks, now, leave that thing to me," He extended one hand towards the trapped creature then released his energy instantly sucking it around the vacuum and killing whatever curse was placed inside the doll. A few of the bones and the scattered parchment also flew in but thanks to Miura's quick thinking, the damage wasn't so severe.
Miura released her domain leaving a perplexed Gojo staring at her. He made a temple with his hands and looked towards the ceiling then laid his blue-eyes on her, "Hey, Miura, how did you do that? I never imagined that anyone could use their simple domain to contain an attack of another sorcerer." He leaned over close enough that his nose almost touched her temple, "That was seriously impressive,"
Honestly, she didn't really know if it was possible but she did it anyway. Maybe his advice of simple believing she could actually worked, "Just-one of my tails," she shrugged.
Before he could ask any more questions, the whole library finally lit up and the corpses began to fade-no, get absorbed-into the abyss of books that Tengen had created except for one, the corpse beside the door.
Gojo helped Sachiko down the 6 foot book cases and watched as his companion went directly to inspect the books, "That's strange,"
"What is?"
"This whole section is untouched but if you look at the mess around us, there are ripped pages and artifacts, it's like someone came here to look for a specific text,"
Gojo cupped his chin, "Yaga said that this housed a lot of Tengen's teachings about sorcery and some of the artifacts are said to be cursed objects. But he has a lot of libraries, I wonder what was valuable enough that people tried to break in here,"
"Let's take a look around. I can still see some sigils all over,"
The interior was very spacious that even as they spoke at a close distance, their words would still echo. Sachiko had begun picking up pieces of torn paper just to get a grasp on what the people had gone through lengths to get inside the library. It seemed quite random. The pages she got were illustrations of cursed dolls, some of them had a whole text on healing runes and another had two words in it, "reversal technique."
"Find anything Gojo-san?" she called. She decided to return to the corpse as she could sense cursed energy in its direction. He probably died a few days earlier as the decay wasn't as bad as the others. He didn't smell like rot but rather like rubber that was blown due to a broken fuse. He was wearing a necklace shaped like a star and based on the other ornaments in his body, it was likely that he was the keeper of Tengen's library. A half-opened book rested in between his chest as if he was protecting it with his life.
She heard Gojo calling out to her but kept her attention on the deceased librarian. She silently said a prayer for him and gave him a bow of respect before she attempted to wiggle out the book in his hand. There was a soft crack as she pulled the book away. It left imprints of blood and soot over the cover. Sachiko carefully stood and began flipping through the pages.
He had bookmarked a certain page with his fingerprints, "Heavenly Restriction," she read out loud. There were underlines on a certain part of the page, "…those born with heavenly restrictions related to their anatomic configuration often have reserves in terms of cursed energy potential however, it is likely that their impediment is permanent unless…" she flipped the page only to be greeted a different chapter headline. It was all gone.
A part of her wanted to search through the crumpled papers around her and dig through all the texts inside the huge library. It was precisely something that she would also want to read. A big secret of hers that remained as much as a mystery to her as to others. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes to bury the personal thoughts she had about those two words. Tucking the book on her arm, she made her way towards her companion leaving her questions behind with the disintegrating corpse.
Gojo was more fixated on the registry of cursed energy a particular part of the library. As he followed the path, there was more rubble and toppled over rolls of parchment. The shelves seemed like it formed a maze that directed him towards a dead end where he was greeted by a painting of the infamous Anguished Man, a surrealist depiction of a man's face painted to exude pain and torment in overlaying colors of yellow, orange and black. Gojo had heard of the urban legend. The painter had used his own blood to fill the canvas after which, he committed suicide and cursed anyone who looked at the painting for more than 5 times.
"Yeah but, I don't think you'd wanna see this," he heard Sachiko's footsteps behind him making him summon his curse and cast it on the painting to destroy it.
"Cursed object?"
He bobbed his head.
The frame that dispersed revealed a seal similar to the ones in the staircase but this rune was distinct from the rest. Miura lifted the book upon recognizing that the cover had the same drawing. Her fingers flipped through the pages until she came across a talisman. Holding up the talisman in front of the silhouette of the painting, she threw the talisman on the wall and read it out loud, "Admittance," it was a simple spell but they weren't quite sure why they needed to cast it on the isolated part of the room.
"Another door?" Satoru looked at his partner once then slid the door open.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
It was dark but all around the room were different monitors and IV-drips surrounding a central bed, "Miura! Someone's in here!"
As soon as she entered the room, the door behind them disappeared. A strong wave of cursed energy alerted their senses. There was a creaking, mechanical noise that ascended towards them that kept them from approaching the bed. They were an assortment of dolls that were like marionettes, slowly animating around them.
"Cursed dolls…" she quipped. A hand went to her hilt ready to draw her weapon but Gojo asked her to stand back.
"I don't think they're aggressive but they seem to be protecting whoever is lying there," his blue eyes shot up towards the tallest of the dolls who was making its way towards them.
He was right. They felt similar to the stuffed roommates she had at her dorm which meant that the energy didn't spring from them but from the patient.
The doll stopped in front of them and jumped up the ceiling transforming itself into some form of lamp. As it lit up, the rest of the dolls made way and stopped moving.
They both gave out a sigh of relief.
The boy with the light hair and eyes approached the bed as Sachiko decided to keep watch of the dolls before joining him.
His face turned white upon getting close to the patient. He was covered in bandages. His one and only arm was connected to some fluids, his chest had EKG probes. On one of his thighs, was a BP apparatus which read his popliteal pressure and below his knees were-nothing. He was in a state of coma but he was lucky that he had a source of oxygen that flowed through his mask, "It's a kid…"
Noticing his unease, Miura went to his side but ended up displaying the same expression. Taking a deep breath she went on to check the cardiac monitor which showed steady beats not over a hundred.
"He's alive," her crimson eyes was locked in the poor boy in bandages as she spoke. He was probably less than ten years of age. It was heartbreaking and puzzling at the same time. Why in the world was he kept in this library?"
Gojo directed his eyes away from her sad expression. It was a look that he realized didn't suit her. She wasn't as gleeful as their other friends but she looked so woeful at the boy. But despite his pity, his eyes couldn't avert from the boy's chaotic cursed energy. It was trapped inside of him much like it was being encased by his bandages. There were no enchantments around him though. His finger twitched and Gojo heard a tinkering sound coming from the dolls, again, his fingers moved ever so slightly and they began to move, "Miura, I think he's the one controlling the dolls," Gojo lifted his palm and released a small amount of cursed energy towards the boy's hand and instinctively, the boy's arm jerked up to signal the dolls to surround them.
Her brows furrowed at the sudden turn of events, "Is he awake? How can he control them in this state?" Sachiko's words echoed back in her head as she watched her partner turn in defensively. The cursed energy she sensed was from the kid and the book, finally made sense, she lifted the book and turned it over so Gojo could read the text. She tapped on the heading, "I think I know why he was kept here…"
The dolls were mobilizing making Gojo hunch forward making Sachiko flinch momentarily but she cleared her throat to continue, "I think someone took him here to find some way to heal him or rather break his restriction. You can sense it too can't you? The energy he has? I think it's also the reason why he's under all of these equipment."
Gojo relaxed his stance then glanced at the semi-conscious boy, "Immense cursed energy in exchange for all these limitations…" he frowned. He was confused at the idea that Tengen or one of his followers was using a kid in that state as his personal security guard all for some stupid books. The boy dropped his hand on the bed making all the activated dolls disassemble.
"We have to help him," she spoke with much urgency now as she placed a hand on the child's forehead. Satoru watched as her face turned dark. It was the look of fury. She shared the same sentiments as him but her explicit display gave him the motivation to actually do something about their current problem. The usual him would have just called in to get help from the other-ups but this time, even he couldn't just leave the kid to waste away as he protected those damned pieces of paper. And it seemed important to her like it was…
Personal.
Gojo and Miura carefully covered the child in a blanket and assessed their next move. He wasn't directly connected to the respirator but he still needed oxygen. He was on his last bag of fluids and it wasn't long until he was done with it. They did their best to dress the boy enough so that he would be comfortable on their way out. Miura was able to manipulate the oxygen inside the tank and turn it into a sphere that would surround his mouth and nose,
"My technique won't last long so we need to hurry," She helped prep him unto Gojo as he carried him in a piggy-back. It was the fastest way they could transport him. Miura used her flames to destroy the wall to pave way for them but as soon as they went through, the whole library began to shake.
Gojo gritted his teeth, "We can't stop. Hang on tight kid!" He increased his footing as Miura made sure to clear the path for them. Gojo's eyes narrowed as he saw the entrance disappearing, Miura took note of his direction and summoned more flames to keep the opening wide enough for their exit. At his periphery, he could see that her Kitsune markings were slowly surfacing which either meant that she was reaching her limit was just about to increase her cursed energy, either way, it was a tricky gamble but he needed to trust her as any reckless movements from him would mean life and death for the kid on his back.
They were only a few feet away from the door when the corpse from the entrance grabbed unto the child's leg and began pulling him away,
"No…my son…" there was a voice that entered Gojo's thoughts that made him hesitate on his retaliation but beyond the voice, his eyes could never be deceived. It glowed brighter as he activated his innate skill and revealed a cursed spirit building up within the dead body's core.
Sachiko lept to catch the boy and ease his landing giving enough time for Satoru to pierce through its chest and destroy the forming curse. Without wasting any more time, he reflexively took both Sachiko and the boy in his arms and jumped out just in time before Tengen's library disappeared.
Panting, Sachiko pushed herself off the cold floor, positioning half of her body and reaching out to check the boy's carotid pulse. Her air-bubble had disappeared but he was still alive. She let out a big sigh of relief.
Gojo was already by her side, helping her up before she could get a chance to check up on him, "I-I'm fine, please help him first," ignoring her request as he noticed that she was hit by Tengen's barrier as she protected the child like a shield, he first steadied her into a sitting position before checking in on the unconscious child.
"He's okay, like you said," he cradled the child in his arms and lifted him to a safer space. They were lucky that the café had a lounge pad where they waited for back-up to arrive. She sat beside the boy as she continued to use her technique to provide him with enough oxygen. Gojo was on the phone speaking to their mediator and was assured that they would soon come for them with appropriate medical help.
As soon as he dropped the phone, he felt pain shoot up on the side of his shoulder. He almost busted it if he hadn't fallen correctly. He made his way towards his partner whose eyes were twinkling like rubies very much like the swirls that appeared on her skin.
There it was again. That look.
Gojo placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, you've done enough," he paused as she turned to him with wide-eyes. Without thinking about his next response he just smiled at her and squeezed her hand as he lowered them ever so slightly, "He's gonna be fine Miura,"
She could only hope. Her singular nod was just to show appreciation for his gesture but the fifteen minutes it took for help to arrive only made her hold her breath tighter.
Gojo stayed close to both the kid and his friend as they waited. There was only a deafening silence between the two teenagers. They both weren't sure if they kept their thoughts to themselves because they were intently listening to the child's breathing or if they were still trying to process what had just happened.
Sachiko placed a hand on his hurt shoulder making him shudder, "My reversal technique is limited but this could help with the pain," she had gathered droplets of water from the surrounding potted plants and merged them in her hand wrapped it around the bruise on his shoulder.
Elemental energy manipulation. A Kitsune trait.
He wasn't hurt badly so his treatment was more than enough. The pain had fleeted almost instantly.
There was soft patter that emerged from the hallway that disturbed their silence. Gojo jumped up to check but exhaled in relief upon seeing the transporter from earlier along with a few other people. The small noise resumed and a dog-like creature with brown fur sped by him.
It settled by Miura's side.
"A fox?" he mouthed.
The brown fox's eyes looked at her intently then bowed its head before pushing its head to the side of her arm as if it was greeting her. This gave her some sort of comfort. Gojo's light eyes finally caught a glimpse of her curled up mouth as she patted the Inari's head.
The medical team was made up of both mortal doctors and reversal-technique specialists. They didn't say much as they took over with transferring the boy to the gurney and re-attaching the equipment he needed.
She turned to Gojo then proceeded to follow the Inari, "I'll go with them downstairs,"
He was about to follow when the transporter approached him, "Thank you for all your help,"
Gojo scoffed, "Yeah, thanks for the heads-up," he said sarcastically and a bit of disdain.
The middle-aged man winced but he wasn't at all surprised that the two students caught on to their ruse about the weaponry-stocks problem, "I'm sorry if we had to make up a story to make you come here but-" he looked towards the now non-existent entrance to the Library, we weren't exactly sure what to expect."
Gojo lifted his head then placed both hands inside his pockets, "So what? Is Tengen using children as his lackeys now or something? What the hell is going on?"
"That boy…he was the son of one of Tengen's followers…and I think you can surmise that he was looking for a way to get rid of his Heavenly Restriction. So, he used his connections to get inside the library to pose as its keeper, but he just wanted access to Tengen's records, so he brought him here,"
"And that's what caused the imbalance?"
"Initially, it wasn't a problem but soon, his son's health declined, and his powers seemed to off-shoot from him without him knowing. Others who were allowed entry tried to keep him under control but soon even civilians were being disturbed so-"
Gojo bit his tongue but before he could reply, Sachiko intervened in their conversation.
"You decided to seal him," she spoke in a low, cautious tone as she took a few steps forward, "And when that didn't work, you needed people who could easily find the library and finish it for you…"
Gojo felt her anger rise. It was pretty evident that she was also fueling her cursed energy. She was indirectly proving their point and he couldn't allow that she be convicted into something just because she sympathized with the child. He placed a hand on her wrist as if to stop her from saying anymore words.
She swatted his hand away then turned her back, "But that didn't work either because-" she opened the book now to the last page where the father's blood had dried and threw it in the transporter's direction. It was a protection spell, a powerful one but, it was also, blood magic.
"His father loved him too much,"
Finally, the boy with the six-eyes understood why the curse had formed inside of the boy's father's soul. His sacrifice meant he would give up his own peace and salvation.
The transporter looked down, "He will be taken to the Ao-Miura residence here in Osaka,"
The Ao-Miuras were in charge of the Osaka faction of their family. Among their line, they had the most Inari shikigami summoners making them prime choices to protect the shrine of the Golden Fox. Her older cousin's family was there. The child was in good hands. This alleviated some of her apprehensions.
"That kid had vast cursed energy and yet-" her words struck the transporter making his face drop. But before he could head over to her and calm her down, she continued, "-he is crippled and abandoned…"
The transporter placed a hand on her shoulder, "Heavenly restriction," he quipped.
Gojo heard about sorcerers born with innate limits to their abilities. That boy was a prime example of it. He had all the strength but he was tied to his ailment and will never be able to utilize it properly.
Tragic.
She clenched her fist, "Do you know his name? That boy?"
"Kokichi. Kokichi Muta,"
The transporter gave her one last squeeze on her shoulder then bowed to excuse himself. His Inari followed suit but circled around her once before leaving.
Gojo watched as the boy's name slowly engraved itself in her thoughts. Her eyes said everything. There was so much sadness and sympathy that even he was left motionless and mute.
She hugged herself now to keep her composure but even as they left, she couldn't forget about that boy.
Like her, she was damned to isolation and repression in hopes that she would just wither away. He was barely a first grader, she gathered. The horror that he must have endured before they found him was an area she didn't wish to ponder on. And like her, she was saved by her parents.
She always believed that Heavenly Restrictions were probably a form of punishment by the supreme beings of the Jujutsu practice. Sorcerers weren't always using their powers for the common good so it was only apt that if any deity was weighing their actions, some of them wouldn't be born so lucky.
Her lineage was famous for their own.
The Kitsune-born were always gifted with dirges as soon as they took their first breath.
The boy was a hard reminder of it. It was only 4 years after she was made aware of her impediment and quite frankly, she wasn't sure how she could ever process it.
The warning of an early death upon birth in exchange for power.
Would power even be worth it if she didn't even lived long enough to use it?
There was an undeniable air of fear and dread that wound around her that everything else seemed like a blank slate. She had a lot of responsibility riding on her survival and mastery of her powers and it was excruciatingly suffocating.
"Miura-san?"
The boy with the never-ending sneer threw away all his jests that moment he saw her pale face. Sachiko was trembling and wasn't paying any sort of attention to the operative bidding them goodbye nor to Satoru's gentle shaking of her shoulder. His voice was beginning to rise,
"Miura-chan? Are you okay?"
This feeling was familiar to her-the sheer panic and air-hunger that followed her temporary state of paralysis. Inhibition and self-containment were slowly fleeting but she was fortunate that she wasn't alone in that moment.
The light-haired boy placed a hand on the side of her head and forced her to look directly in his eyes to get through her, "Sachiko!" calling out her name finally broke her trance. She shuddered and caught herself losing her balance with only her friend keeping her from falling. She shut her eyes forcibly then took three deep breaths.
He didn't ask her what was wrong. He didn't have the courage to. So, he just waited until she calmed down.
I wish I knew what was going on. Its unlike her to react that way so suddenly.
There was a few minutes of silence between them that even the slightest drop of water could stimulate their ears. This was one of those moments that Gojo had to make sure that his partner was okay.
Without speaking, she had directed herself to one of the elevators but before she was able to press on the ground floor button, Gojo activated the 5th.
"Hold on, we have one more stop inside this place,"
She didn't turn to examine his expression and instead just rode the elevator up as he had wished.
Immediately upon entering, they were greeted by a golden statue that looked a little like Buddha. It was quite cartoonish and large and was sitting in a way that it had its feet face them.
Miura's brows furrowed.
"This is the Billiken statue. According to legend, if you rub his feet, you'll get good luck," he smirked as he rubbed the statue's feet.
She couldn't believe the nonsense and the timing of it. He was a jujutsu sorcerer in training and they knew better than just rely things on luck.
He knelt in front of the statue and continued rubbing its feet, "Let's do this for Kokichi Muta," he said and at the mention of his name, Sachiko, traced her pale fingers on the statue and moved her palms up and down.
A little luck never harmed anyone.
They were already about to leave when Gojo changed the course to the top of the building making her weave her arms together, "Are you ever going to let me get out of here?"
Gojo extended his pointer finger, "We have to go to the top to complete the whole experience. The fresh air will do us good,"
Fresh air.
It actually was a good idea. Ironically, it was suffocating to stay inside Tengen's domain.
The top deck was still encased in glass but as the veil lifted, it revealed a better view of the large city. It was just around 4PM but some of the city lights were already twinkling. There were opened windows and even telescopes which allowed them to zoom in on the scenery.
"Osaka is so big! I wanna go around! Have you been here before?" He was peering through the hole of the coin telescopes, "Miura?" he released his hold on the scopes only to find Miura sitting and holding out one of her hands like she was making a shadow puppet of a dog or rabbit. She aligned one of her eyes through the hole she had made with her fingers and looked outside.
"What're ya doing?"
She tilted her hand a little to the left and continued her odd movements, "Looking,"
Gojo went behind her and poked his head at her side, startling her and releasing her from her posture. He mimicked the position of her hands, "Can you see better if you do this dog-thing?"
She flicked his forehead, "Actually, I can," she cleared her throat, "Also, it's a fox," she repositioned her fingers then aligned them in her eye. Gojo then noticed that she was using cursed energy. Seeing as he was so curious about her technique she allowed him to look through the hole in her right hand. Immediately he was able to zoom in like the scope but even better. He could even jump from one place to another.
"Whoa! This is so cool!"
He was about to grab her wrist and maneuver it around when she let her hand fall on her lap, "Okay, that's enough. Let's go,"
"Already? But it's my first time here, let's look around! It's yours too right? Right?"
She began to wonder if Yaga had paired them up so that Gojo could watch over her or so that she could watch over Gojo.
"I've been to Osaka before but just to the Tamatsukuri Inari shrine with my grandfather."
"Then that settles it! It's still early, let's tour a little bit!"
He had already pushed the elevator to descend to the ground floor. The whole space was filled with his dazed out look of excitement and she felt that toppling over it would make her look like a villain.
Besides, she saw the vicinity. There were no curses lingering around anymore.
"Why not," she finally concedes.
From across the Glico running man's iconic electronic display, it casts a bright blue light over the mirror like river water in the canal. The 3D kraken mural had continued to invite hungry customers inside the restaurant but just a little below, on its opposite end, was the dock where dwellers just took in the scenic view.
There was long line for the famed Ichiran Ramen place that it only took them a minute to give up and just head to the local stalls for some food. They had passed by the bright lights of the main streets and was even greeted by the "No double dipping!" howl of the Grimacing Daruma and the enormous claws of the Kani establishment.
The whole place was swarming with people. Even they weren't colorful enough to stand out. They had received a few invitations from people dressed in maid-costumes as well as a few guys in elaborate tuxes were handing flyers.
It was a spontaneous trip to Dohtonburi. Obviously, the silver-haired boy just couldn't leave Osaka without visiting the area. She was impartial towards going home as she was uncomfortable with crowds but upon Gojo's brilliant idea that they both don black cloth masks to relieve her from getting any weird stares if she wore her other one, she didn't think she could find any more good reasons to decline him.
The side of his eyes wrinkled as he grinned behind his mask, "Let's go!"
"I looked up all the places we should visit while we're here. So don't worry, we won't get lost,"
She tried her best to listen to him as he looked through his phone but it was a little difficult to catch his words as they swam against the other people making their way. Her height made it even more difficult to follow his pacing.
"Where is he?" she muttered in frustration.
Soon, she felt a gentle tug on her hand and fingers laced into hers making her quiver.
No one has ever held her hand before.
Despite the familiar face that owned the gesture, she couldn't help but feel heat brush over her cheeks. She wasn't sure if it was rage or something else. She didn't like surprises.
Gojo Satoru's hold on her gently tightened, "Come on!" he exclaimed as he held unto her and lead her to a less crowded spot. It all happened very fast despite walking a couple of blocks from where they were. They were a little out of breath but least, they were more comfortable.
They both crouched on their knees to take a breather. Noticing that he was still holding her hand and that she was at a loss for words, he quickly let her go and gave her an awkward nudge, "Alright!" He pointed towards the Takoyaki stall that was in front of them, "Let's eat?"
Sachiko hid her flushed face from his sight and simply made her way towards the cart and Gojo could only let out a nervous laugh.
She peered behind her shoulder, "Uhuh and thank you, I guess,"
"Hey, Miura, want some?"
They were both famished from their mission and the travel only made them hungrier. Somehow, he had convinced her to just get some water as they rode the train so they actually savor the famous 'chef's table' of Japan.
Gojo was first to place in an order as she decided to get some water first. He was holding a tray of the famed octopus-snack and offered it to her. He was nibbling on the toothpick that had its sauce on it then quipped, "Oishi-desu," (It's delicious)
She didn't think twice about sharing his food. It was one the street food that she actually enjoy. Her imposed pescatarian eating allowed her to at least have some indulges.
There was delight as he watched her oblige to tasting most the things he urged her to try. He actually thought that she was very stuck-up but she was quite adventurous. They were getting along rather well.
"I think this the most that I've seen you eat and I don't mean that in a bad way,"
She blinked, "They have a lot of seafood here so,"
"Yeah? You favor seafood?"
"Not really by choice but go ahead and try the beef stuff without me, I'm sure you want to,"
Strolling around the market was actually fun. Despite the crowd, she was blending in well although it was kind of hard to suppress the overly enthusiastic guy in their uniform, she, for the most part, let him be.
He probably doesn't get a lot of time off. I guess having a great skill-set is actually a detriment to a normal life. I would know.
"Miura! Fish pancakes!" He was waving both of his hands above his head to catch her attention making other look at them weirdly.
She waved back to save him from further embarrassment. Others were darting towards her differently though. But it didn't surprise her. Of course she was being watched. The Inari summoners from the temple surely kept their eye on the heir to the clan.
It doesn't matter. This isn't about the clan right now.
They made their way back to the Ebisubashi bridge. Gojo angulated his hand into half a prayer to ask his classmate to take a photo of him with the beautiful background of the river and the iconic array of LED displays. This made her laugh. He really was acting like a tourist.
"Why not?" she held out his phone and directed him to stand in an angle that would capture the background properly.
"Ichi, Nii, San-"
Click!
He was beaming widely like a kid who had just gotten a new toy and was quick to check her shot to make sure that he was satisfied.
"That looks great! Thanks!"
Returning the phone to him, she took a few steps to the side of the bridge and leaned as she tip-toed to take a look at the reflection of the buildings and the moon on the river water. Gojo joined her not long after.
"Want me to take your picture too?"
She shook her head, "No thanks, I'm good."
Discounting her reply, he took out his phone and took a stolen shot of her at the pier.
"Hey!" She reached out to his phone making him laugh.
"Oh come on! Look! It turned out nice!" He turned the screen towards her and was surprised that he actually took a decent photo. She dug her fingers to her arm and shied away in defeat, "It looks okay right? I'll send it to you."
"Alright..."
Gojo wasn't done with his photo-op. He took a few strides towards his friend then tapped her shoulder to face him and as soon as she turned, he took a photo of the both of them. The flash put her into a momentary daze.
"Nice," she rubbed her eyes, "You blinded me,"
Gojo tapped on the photo and zoomed in, "See? Not so bad!" seeing her lack of glee he nudged her again, "Don't be mad now, this is our first mission together. And it was a VIP one too. We should document our success."
He was right. They did work hard that day and they deserved a reminder of their victory. Inside, she agreed, "Whatever you say,"
In a way, his words reminded him of how very limited her time was to have moments like these. She was living on a borrowed one after all.
The Tokyo students took their own spot under the bridge where a few well-lit benches were unoccupied. Gojo removed his glasses and wiped them as he waited on the Kitsune spirit bearer as she excused herself to buy something.
Looking at the stillness of the lights and the soft chatter around him, he took a deep breath-in and out-he was having a good time. It was rare for him to have a moment to truly enjoy himself. Missions almost never stopped for the one labeled, 'the strongest,' so it was a welcome change that on moments like these, he had an addition to the companions he usually hung out with. Not discounting his buddy, Suguru who was more into extreme sports and stuff, it was nice to hang out with someone new.
Her footsteps interrupted his melancholy but in a welcoming manner, "What did you buy?"
"Shiro Houseki Ichigo," she took a seat next to him then started tearing part of the plastic that covered the strawberries and offered them to her classmate,
"Oh, fruit," he was squeamish towards anything healthy making him let out a nervous laugh as he didn't know how to politely decline her.
Reading his expression, she tried to contain her laughter, "Try it sweet-tooth," she took out one piece and handed it to him, "It's a sweeter variety and I promise you won't regret it,"
His fingers twitched as he reached out for it. He turned the fruit 180 degrees and smelled it. Sachiko was happily biting on her own share and although she was anticipating his reaction, she didn't turn to observe him directly. He took a gulp then hesitantly bit a chunk of the fruit which grazed his tongue and tickled his taste receptors immediately, "Ah! It's delicious!"
"Told you,"
He held the strawberry by its stem then stuffed the rest inside his mouth allowing some of its juice to slide down his chin. He turned to Miura now as he rubbed his mouth with his collar.
"Miura can I-" before he could speak, she was already handing him the container along with a table napkin, "Thanks!"
She didn't say anything but she managed to curve one side of her lips.
For a while, they just sat on the cold, ambiently lit steps beside the river where they watched other people mingle about the streets and let time fleet as they rode the small boat.
They had a long day and they wished that just like what they were doing, they could just be teenagers exploring and having fun in their own time not having to worry about dying every time they walked out of school. But still, it was a great feeling and solace that mundane moments were still possible and who would've thought that she'd have this realization thanks to the sugar-crazed weirdo in shades beside her.
Sachiko watched as two boys were playing with their blow-fish balloons. One of them was the same height and age as the boy in bandages that they found housed in the library. Instantly, her heart sunk. She hugged her knees then buried her face in between to hide her sad expression.
She felt guilty.
Her shift in position made Gojo a little solemn. His exhaustion was looming and the inescapable trauma they had witnessed earlier filtered their thoughts in their shared silence. As if he knew what she was thinking, he was first to make noise, "He's gonna be fine, the kid,"
Sachiko's shoulders rose as she breathed deeply but deep inside, she was surprised and not relieved at his sentiment. How could he even know what was going through her head?
Can he actually hear me?
Was being perceptive part of his innate ability?
"So," he lifted himself as he sat to close a little bit of distance in between. His left hand extended on its own and he found his hand floating on top of her head. He didn't exactly know what he was doing. He wanted to comfort her but he was afraid that she'd take offense in him treating her like a child. As she slowly extended her neck, his raised hand jerked out towards the side of his head and raked his hair. Miura's eyes were very expressive. Despite the striking color and being unequipped with an energy dampener, he saw them clearly. The colors didn't match the water than was being held back. Instead of sadness, her expression was more like his words actually gave her some sort of solace. She wasn't frowning but she couldn't turn it upside down either.
She looked away and faced towards the playing children once more, "You were saying?"
Gojo bit the side of his cheek and rested his palms on the cold steps, "-So, don't worry."
"I'll try," her tone was steady but her reservations were still traceable, she side-eyed him now and straightened up, "Sorry for being a buzz-kill,"
"No need to apologize for being human," he shrugged then snapped his fingers, "By the way, that thing you did with his oxygen, that was pretty impressive! Is it a tail thing?" he was honestly curious. Elementals were always an impressive class of sorcerers of course he was also licking himself being classified in the same way.
Sachiko's shoulders relaxed now, "Yes, sort of, I mean," she clasped her hands together, "It's a Kitsune thing for sure but we're natural elementals so," Gojo counted in his head what she meant-her flames, the earth domain, water healing and the air-manipulation. He hid his snort at the thought of comparing him to the Avatar from one of the cartoons he watched.
She continued, "My ability to manipulate certain elements might not even count except for my fox-fire. I don't quite understand the specifics yet but I'm just lucky I was able to do what was necessary earlier,"
"Hm…so you're not sure if it's part of your innate technique or how exactly you did it but you were able to," he pursed his lips then clapped two times, "You really are impressive Miura!"
His beam made her scoff. Grabbing the railing to her side, she straightened to stand and clean her back-side from any debris, "What can I say? I took a cue from someone about just believing that I could so I did,"
Gojo leapt up and held his chin high and went to align with her, "Sounds like a genius to me," her quip about his advice instantly lightened their mood. It was becoming evident to Gojo that his decision to befriend the dangerous special grade was the right move and he was grateful to have another ally. He just hoped that she felt the same.
"Next time, you better tell me about your innate techniques as well," She also showed interest towards Gojo. It was a mutual understanding between special grades. At least, she treated it that way.
Miura looked at her watch now and noticed that it was 5 minutes away from turning 8 in the evening. They had been roaming around for 2 hours but it didn't seem like the bright eyed boy in the dark shades, walking in the streets at night, showed any signs of slowing down.
The last place of the tour was an open-air coffee shop. Gojo had just swept through half-an hour at the Glico store for souvenirs and after a few minutes of prodding, he finally agreed to find a place to sit.
The coffee-shop was quite quaint. It was one of those fairy-lit decorated places that attracted the kids their own age but best of all it was quiet.
Miura set down her paper bag of strawberries and few pieces of candy she thought their other friends at home would like. He, on the other hand, dropped 2 big plastic bags on the table which presumably was all his to consume.
They both approached the counter and looked at the menu, right away, the barista, who was just a little older than them placed his hands on the table and gave them a big grin, "Hey there! What can I get 'ya?"
Gojo scratched the side of his face as his eyes lingered towards the cakes on display. Sachiko already ordered hers and was handing in her payment when Gojo stepped in and blocked her, "I got this!" He grinned then looked at the barista, "Please add her bill to mine,"
"You sure?" she spoke under her cloth mask but her eyes told him that she was actually welcoming his gesture.
He smirked, "It's no big deal," he waved his hand then proceeded to blurt out his orders.
The barista sneered as he placed their orders, "Aww, you two kids are so cute," he leaned on one arm and whispered towards Gojo making Sachiko wince, "Is she your girlfriend?"
Gojo cackled out loud then side-glanced at her before covering his mouth as he whispered to the barista, "If I tell you she is, will you give me a discount?"
"What are you two talking about?" she uttered to herself.
The barista took a step back and crossed his arms and gave him a thumb's up, "Sure!"
Gojo gave him a peace sign, "Then she is!" his cackle disturbed the quiet of the café making her uncomfortable.
"You're making no sense…I'll go and wait at our table," the barista's attention went to Sachiko as she made her way to their table and removed her mask.
Seeing that he was distracted, Gojo peered back over his shoulder.
"Is she really your girlfriend? She's cute."
Gojo lifted his chin at his senpai making him double back, "Why do you ask?"
The white haired boy was already blocking his view but still managed to take a peek, "Are those tattoos on her neck? And what's up with those red eyes?" he diverted his attention to Gojo's equally bizarre hair color, "Are you two like visual-kei or punk goths?"
Gojo cocked a brow, "Hey mister, are our orders ready yet?"
The barista clicked his tongue then sighed as assembled their orders on a tray, "No need to be stingy bro, I won't bother your girl,"
It was obvious to Gojo that the guy was just curious about his friend but regardless, he didn't like him talking about her in that context. Even if he feigned their relationship at least it could keep one creep at bay. He was just trying to be nice to her. It's the least he could do after forcing her to wait as he shopped.
He set the tray on top of their table and sat down. Sachiko grabbed her coffee and watched as he set the two pieces of cake and frappe in front of him.
She took a sip at her iced-coffee and jeered at him, "Just watching you is giving me a tooth-ache,"
He shrugged, "I do what I can to keep my energy up," her eyes trailed on the different sizes and colors of packages he bought containing an assortment of treats.
"I see…" she said, hiding her wince, "And how much energy do you think you need on the way home?"
He laughed, "I'm also beat from the festivities early so I need to replenish my stores. I suggest you do the same." He took one of the boxes and opened it to reveal Manjus shaped into flowers, "Here, I highly recommend the custard ones," he began pointing at each treat and dictating their flavors.
Not wanting to be rude, she pointed towards the red-bean flavored ones and took a piece, "Thank you," he watched as she took a bite of the Manju.
"Good right?" to which she rewarded with a nod. She took another sip of her coffee and set it down.
"Ne…what are you drinking?"
"Oh, it's an iced americano. Nothing special."
"That's not sweet at all."
She shrugged, "No, but it has a lot of caffeine so this'll do." She lifted the cup and continued to drink.
"And why are you drinking coffee at 8:30PM?"
"We're gonna have to take the bus at this rate and I'd like to be on guard just until we're halfway."
He pointed towards the cup and leaned closer, "Can I taste it?"
Her lips parted from the straw and she was taken aback, "Hm…alright…" She was about to bring out her handkerchief and wipe the straw but Satoru just went in and drank from the coffee she was holding without any second thoughts. As he drank the coffee, he watched as the expression on her face changed into dread but was quick to note the flushing on her cheeks.
Satoru took one last gulp and straightened. He placed his thumb and index finger on his chin, "Hm…iced americano actually complements the sweets," He stared at an embarrassed Sachiko who looked away from him and pushed the rest of her drink towards him,
"Y-you can have it." She said, turning her back on him. Satoru noticed that there were some people staring at them but he wasn't exactly sure why. The barista in particular was left agape.
"Are you sure?" he said with one hand on the cup, "Miura? Miura-chan?"
She simply nodded and straightened her clothes.
This guy has no idea what he did wrong. He's so crass!
"A-ri-ga-tou!" He sang and proceeded to finish the drink 3/4s of the way when he reoffered the drink, "You don't want one last sip?"
She lifted both her palms forward and shook her head, "No, thank you."
It took a few more minutes for him to finish eating and he noticed that his friend went silent.
What did I do now?
They managed to catch the last train. They were both relieved that they had cut their travel time in half. There were very few people on board which was fortunate.
Satoru's raven haired classmate was already dozing off even before the train moved. Not wanting to disturb her, Gojo leaned on the window at his side of the cubicle. She was swaying a little and bobbing her head but she didn't snore. Despite the caffeine, she was really knocked out.
The train's speed pulled her to fall on her side but before her head could hit the hard wall, Gojo reflexively took over the empty space beside her and caught her head on his shoulder.
He gave out a sigh, "That was close,"
Her weight on his shoulder was hardly noticeable. As he was taller than her, looking at her made him realize that the special grade sorcerer was actually tiny. This made him grin. Her breathing was steady and she wasn't bothered by the noise of the ride. Red colored swirls were appearing on her neck and he had concluded that behind her mask, the symbols were forming as well.
Heavenly Restriction.
Yaga told me that she tends to fall into a deep sleep after missions especially if she used too much of her cursed energy.
Kitsunes are powerful, no doubt, but, half-of their soul was also a danger to their own lives. It was a consumptive type of restriction. She'd never feel any detriment during battle but when she rests, she'll descent into her own abyss.
I hope it doesn't hurt.
He decided to remove her Kitsune mask to make her sleep a little more at ease. She was drained not just from the physical aspect of their mission but more importantly from the emotional reminder that she was also a person with limit. She not just sympathized with the child, she was the same.
A potential weapon. A potential threat. But also, she was vulnerable.
They had arrived late at the University. Gojo had to make sure that she wouldn't faint on her way to her private dorm and walked with her.
"You really don't have to walk me to my dorm, yours is just a short walk from here,"
"Nah, its fine. Besides, we're here,"
She looked at her dorm then back at him as he tapped her shoulder.
"Here, matcha right?" he handed her a box of the flower-shaped treats they had earlier. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. She wasn't used to this kind of treatment but if she learned anything in the past few weeks turned months they had spent together, he was always kind towards her. Crass, but kind.
Accepting his token, she wiped her face from all the stress from that day and spoke,
"Thank you, Satoru,"
Her unbridled mention of his name nudged his heart for a split second. She had never been informal to anyone, especially him. He felt like he deserved it in some weird way but he didn't think he did anything too special to give her the impression that he was acting out of norm.
He placed one hand at the back of his head and looked away, "N-no problem,"
"Is something wrong?" her voice was steady unlike his emotions which felt foreign to the young sorcerer but she continued, "Is it okay if I call you by your name?" her intention was merely an act of appreciation for his growing friendship with her. She easily recognized that his obtuse attitude was what complemented her reservations.
He shrugged, "Sure…I kind of like-prefer it that way,"
Sachiko gave him a small smile, "Alright then, Satoru,"
Gojo took a step forward and halted her turning, " Well I guess this is goodnight!" his voice rose making her double back, "-Sachiko-chan,"
It was amusing to her how Satoru was actually the same as the other guys she's met. He acts all confident and carefree but he was actually quite awkward around girls. She didn't want that. She just wanted him to be comfortable with her but it was nice to know that he had some normalcy within him.
He went home that day feeling a little bit fulfilled and even proud of himself for helping his new friend be a little more herself than usual. At least, he hoped.
Gojo made his way home and pondered on how it was his first time to see her smile sincerely.
Its better when she smiles.
Actually, it was his first time to look at her face beyond the cloud of cursed energy and without the heavy markings on her face. Her face cleared up when she slept and it was hard not to notice her features when she leaned on his shoulder. Her black and silver hair brushed against his neck and her long braid which was loose by its tail fell on his arm.
She's actually quite attractive. Or maybe I'm just hyped up in sugar.
He smacked his face with his palm but felt his face and neck spread warmth, "I must be freakin' tired!"
Sachiko was welcomed by the cursed dolls as soon as she approached the door. It was already midnight but the sky was still filled with stars. Before walking inside, she was greeted by a night breeze that made strands of her hair dance. The dolls opened the door as she tried to tuck her hair in the back of her ears and that's when she noticed that she was not wearing her mask. She opened her bag and found it tucked safely inside.
He must've removed it when I dozed off.
She changed her clothes then went to the bathroom to wash her face. After splashing her face with water, she glanced on her reflection and noticed that she could hardly see the Kitsune marks on her face and then checked to see if the other markings on her body faded which it did.
Those markings only appear at the height of the Kitsune's cursed energy or when her cursed energy was depleted and she needed to utilize the reserve from the Kitsune. If she had control of her powers, she wouldn't show any marks.
"I must be doing something right." She wiped her face and looked at her reflection once more, "Or someone else is helping me feel more at ease."
What is this comfort?
She asked herself that question which had an answer buried deep in her mind. What she did concede to was the fact that whatever it was, she needed it. And she was grateful.
The weekend they spent on their mission passed by quickly and they were finally reunited with their two other companions.
Sachiko had dropped by at the clinic to hand Shouko her requested sake-flavored treat. At the lunch hall, she waved at Getou who was already having his meal and sat down beside him as they waited for the boy in the thick glasses to join them.
"Welcome back," he greeted her.
She nodded and squinted her eyes behind her mask, "Thanks," she rummaged through her bag then took out the box of white strawberries and pushed it towards the boy with the pony-tail, "Here,"
Suguru's eyes widened. He set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth which plastered a smile that spanned across his cheeks, "For me?" he looked at the fruits with his sharp, purple eyes then turned his attention back to her, "Thank you Miura-san. I appreciate this,"
He noticed the side of her jaw twitch. She smiled back.
Suguru traced his fingers on the bottom wrapper and removed the covering, "Are these the houseki kind?"
"Yes,"
He took one of the strawberries and bit a large chunk out of it and was pierced with sweetness as it played on his palate before he swallowed, "These are delicious,"
"Right?"
Suguru rested one arm on the table and flexed it so he could rest his chin on his knuckles as he looked at her, still with one strawberry in his hand, "You know these are kind of like you,"
Her brows furrowed, "Huh?"
Suguru took another bite, "Sweet," he quipped.
His statement caught her off guard. She never expected that her long-haired friend would ever say something ridiculous as that. Hiding her blush she was quick to laugh it off making him mirror his reaction.
Suguru was relieved that she wasn't offended by his joke but he was a little bit serious when he did put out those words. If it weren't for Satoru dropping his tray as he sat beside him, he would've said more things to complement her.
"That," the blue eyed boy snarled at his friend, "-was lame,"
Suguru could only shrug and raise his arms to surrender.
Gojo was still pouting, "Hey Sachiko-chan, are you pissed at me or something?"
"Huh? No, why would you say that?"
"I dunno, seems like ever since I took your coffee, you were awkward towards me."
Suguru felt like a third wheel in their on-going conversation but it wasn't enough to make him leave. He did note that they were already on a first-name basis making him a little down in his mood. But they were both his friends and there shouldn't be any competition.
She fidgeted a little then brushed him off, "Sorry, it's just that, I was surprised but you don't need to worry about it."
In the next minute, she had excused herself leaving a pair of confused boys at the cafeteria.
Satoru told Shouko and Getou about their mission and how he thinks he pissed Sachi off. Shouko explained that she was probably surprised about what he did. She whispered that what he did was an indirect kiss.
Getou remained silent.
Gojo grimaced, "Sharing saliva? You think she was grossed out? She and I have equally great teeth."
Shouko rolled her eyes, "That's not the point but whatever."
End of Chapter
Next chapter: The Exchange Event
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
I know it was quite long, but I really wanted to develop the relationship between the two main characters of this story.
Side notes, except for Tengen's library, these are all real places in Osaka. I've only ever been to Dohtonburi in the places mentioned here so I had to do some research.
The cursed painting mentioned is a real urban legend. Don't search it, it's scary.
Search the Billiken instead :D
Again, Inari= fox-shikigami, specific to male Miura sorcerers.
The boy in the bandages mentioned in this story, if you've probably guessed it, is Kokichi Muta aka Mechamaru.
There really is an Inari shrine in Osaka. I hope to visit it one day. And please please try the white strawberries! I swear by these. When I was there, I just closed my eyes when I saw the price haha. Worth it!
Also if you're curious about how the markings on Sachiko appear on her skin, you can search for Kitsune masks online. They're the make-up/painted features you see on them and are very similar to it.
Next chapter, we will be flying to Kyoto for the Exchange Event, at last!
P.S. Anyone here on twitter? Let me know MiuraChronicler
Artworks for the fic can also be found in my twitter or my AO3 account :)