A/N

Not beta-ed so I would apologize for the minor grammatical mistakes in advance.

Also there's another illustration in ao3!

2006 August 14

"Is this the main shrine?"

Emi and Satoru were the only ones who entered the shrine. There was a possibility Riko wouldn't be able to escape inside if things got ugly, so Suguru stayed with her for protection. And he won the game of rock, papers, scissors anyway; there'd be no need for another person inside.

"It should be." The girl's eye traveled around the place. It looked like a standard Buddhist shrine except for a few things like komainu (stone dog sculptures) and a few architectures that should be present for praying. It made sense considering Tengen wouldn't die nor ascend any time soon.

Satoru appeared disinterested in his surroundings but maintained his guarded posture. "Then is Tengen here?" Intentionally leaving out the honorifics, the teen stared at her for an answer.

How would she know? This guy really had no tack for anything not related to himself. Emi was sure Suguru had to inform him about the details of the merger since the Gojo family rarely educated their descendants about non-related clan topics.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

The two immediately turned their heads to the source of the sound. "Child of the Gojo and Tokunaga Emi." A humanoid greeted them cordially. The person had an elongated head but maintained his other 'human' parts like feet and hands. Wearing a simple light-colored long robe, he gave off the impression of a Buddhist instead of a god.

"Tengen-sama." Emi scanned through his appearance, desensitized after seeing a couple of ghostly cursed spirits. "You've been listening to our conversation. Am I right?"

"So he was the one watching us all this time?" Satoru had noticed eyes that were observing their every movement. But he had grown immune to it since that bizarre feeling existed ever since he stepped on the Jujutsu High premises. "You were watching your Star Plasma Vessel get killed?"

Tengen didn't answer his questions and instead turned to the girl.

"It's a binding vow, isn't it?" Emi found it weird he wouldn't interfere if it were outside his chambers. Then there could only be one thing—something prevented him from physically affecting the world outside.

Satoru caught on pretty quickly. "That's dumb for someone who lived long enough."

If anyone heard the white-haired teen saying those words, he would be attacked with pitchforks and torches. However, what he said made sense; who would agree to a binding vow that would hold you captive for the rest of your life? It'd be better if he died. He was practically useless, to begin with. Furthermore, even popular idols had to control their fans. What was the difference between Tengen and those popstars? He should be held accountable for the actions of his followers as well. Letting them go rogue and kill his only hope for continuing his life was indeed a dumb move.

This all-knowing Tengen wasn't so kind after all.

"We're here to propose something, Tengen-sama. I assume you've heard of our decision?" Emi got straight to the point since she couldn't let Satoru continue with his drivel.

"Why would I do that?" Tengen rejected their proposal out of the bat. He seemed to put the two teens under his scrutiny. "You have nothing to offer me."

Satoru gave the humanoid a glance before explaining to him the situation. "Master Tengen, you're getting a little feebleminded. You're the one who should ask for something since we could whisk your vessel anytime and anywhere we want. Whether we have your agreement or not, you have no way to take Riko from us. But we want this to be an equal negotiation so that you wouldn't be on the losing side."

It was not a negotiation. The two teens were only kind enough to ask Tengen for anything to exchange for the Star Plasma Vessel. Since he couldn't interfere with what was happening outside anyway, it'd be better for them to ignore this old man. However, there would be long-term repercussions, like being tagged as a traitor and being chased through the ends of the earth. Although Satoru and Suguru were willing to do it, Emi was not that barbaric.

"Then I want the Gojo Clan to follow along with the Jujutsu Heaquarter's wishes. I would never accept any interference like you did today. In return, I would let Geto Suguru, Gojo Satoru, Tokina Emi, and Amanai Riko go." The immortal exhibited an understanding of his position and started to set conditions that would benefit the community. "I assume I'll be making a binding vow with the boy?"

"Yes, Tengen-sama." Emi heard the answer she wanted, so she gestured for Satoru to continue their agreement. At this point, the Gojo Clan would be the loyalist of the jujutsu higher-ups. Taking into account the money they offered to Toji, they had sacrificed a lot for this deal. But Tengen should drop his guard for a while after, and they could earn money again.

They also gained something.

There were a couple of insinuations about how the system was corrupt, but it never delved deeper into how it was corrupt. Emi had a few hypotheses about this, and Tengen was the common denominator. He was the foundation of the Jujutsu Community and the reason it existed until today. Technically, he was also part of the higher-ups they needed to be wary of since their traditionalistic views also came from him. The immortal had taught people jujutsu, but he also specified how the dark sides of the community should work (e.g., discrimination, extreme misogyny, the established practices).

Additionally, cursed spirits didn't only exist in Japan. They were also present anywhere in the world inhabited by humans. So why was their jujutsu community a lot larger compared to others? It might be a case of gatekeeping.

Emi wanted to punch this 'Master Tengen' in the face while she was there. There was a difference between being a selfish prick and a utilitarian selfish prick. If everyone ignored how Kenjaku and Tengen were at the opposite sides of the pole, they would see how they were frighteningly alike.

Well, Emi shouldn't be different from them since she only cared about the people under her. But at the least, she didn't actively become the founding father or the villain of the jujutsu community. Getting those big roles with burdensome responsibilities was not in her personality type.

"Thank you, Tengen-sama." Emi showed respect on the surface, but her mind was whirring with different curses. "We will be back in the future."

Tengen disappeared after they talked about their agreement. It was a good thing Emi had prepared for this, and she had thought about the other details they should establish in advance. They had avoided going rouge for now. Sighing after her heavy burden was lifted, she sent a glare on Satoru's way after they exited the Tomb with Suguru and Riko.

The white-haired teen understood what she was angry about and showed her a peace sign. Emi rolled her eyes in annoyance, and if only they would stop giving her problems, she would be able to sleep better at night.

2006 August 15

Principal Matsumoto smiled affably, sitting on the couch of his office with legs crossed. He didn't expect Gakuganji Yoshinobu to rush here just before he met with the higher-ups. Luckily, the young'uns were not here, or else this old man would plan to assassinate them all in one go.

"Matsumoto, I want to know what happened with the Star Plasma Vessel," Yoshinobu ordered with a hoarse voice. He probably heard the news right away when the merger didn't go as planned.

"I already sent you their report. Is there a need to call me out here alone?" Genki had made sure to straighten out their plan right before he let the second years go. It was a good thing Yaga and Tomita were with them. "Frankly, I already sent all the information I have to you. Don't you trust me, old friend?" The last part wasn't uttered affectionately but with sarcasm.

Matsumoto Genki was once part of these 'higher-ups.' However, the longer he stayed there, the sicker he became because they stuck to their uncompromising views. They were already old, and they would die soon. There was no use in following their strict rules and regulations. He believed this was the world of the new generation, and they should only guide them to the right path.

Personally, someone as senile as Gakuganji shouldn't take an educator's position. He needed to stay in his place without bothering others like this silently.

"Old friend, huh." The old man mocked his words; disbelief was still evident in his tone. He still didn't trust him after what happened to them in the past. It made sense the lasting impression he left when they were young stayed with him considering they would only see each other at gatherings, mostly every sister-school goodwill event. "Your views ruined our community."

Genki's smile stiffened when the other old man hit his sore spot. "Not this time, Yoshinobu."

"You should stop daydreaming, Genki." The Kyoto Principal warned him as if he had experienced the repercussions of Matsumoto's unorthodox views. "There's a reason why we have these rules and regulations," he muttered, then stood up using his cane, the golden eyes hiding behind his downturned brows sharply gazed at him.

"I'm not sure what you are referring to. But I hope you get your peace of mind soon," he replied without any change to his facial expression. Matsumoto Genki remained seated even after the other person had exited the room.

It was getting harder and harder to deal with the Headquarters.

If there was something Genki was thankful for, it was the fact that Master Tengen did not discriminate between allies and enemies in terms of sharing information. Despite the binding bow between him and Satoru to keep everything under the wraps, there were many ways to relay information. And everyone needed to seek him out actively if they needed to know something. For example, until now, the other side had to figure out what happened back in the Tomb of the Star Corridor.

It was also because of this they had yet to figure out Tokunaga Emi was back and involved herself in the mission.

Emi and Satoru were practically the red flags for all these old people. The former was a person who actively sought out the families for cooperation while the latter could force them in the corner if he wanted to. Genki was sure that other than the family heads of the three prominent jujutsu clans that made a binding vow with the girl when she was younger, no one else knew she was residing inside the Jujutsu High. Except for Master Tengen, of course, since he knew everything that was happening under his barrier.

There were only two groups that led all the jujutsu sorcerers in Japan. The first one would be the Jujutsu Headquarters that was led by the Commissioner and other board members, aka 'higher-ups.' They had a tighter rein in urban areas than in rural ones, so the people in the countryside could live a little bit more freely than the shamans in the city. The second group would be the Three Sorcerer Families—the Kamos, Gojos, and Zenins. They had their own groups as well as secret teams composed of high ranked jujutsu-shis. The most popular one was The Hei(炳) of the Zenin Clan, composed of Special Grade 1 sorcerers and above.

The Gojo and Kamo were much more secretive with their groups, so Genki was unsure about theirs.

Technically, these three clans' fate also needed to rely on the Jujutsu HQ since election or removal from the top three would come from the Commissioner. Albeit in terms of power, if you combined all the prominent families, they would be up to par or even much more powerful than those currently governing the system. Imagine the Headquarters' panic when they got wind of the cooperation between the Kamo, Gojo, and Zenin families.

This was the first time in history and totally unheard of.

One wrong move and the balance of power would tilt the three clans' way, and instead of relying on the Jujutsu HQ, it would be the HQ relying on them. It would be the worst fear of those higher-ups who were used to standing above anything else. Fortunately, the liaison of these families, Tokunaga Emi, was declared dead after her disappearance during a mission three years ago. No one tried to actively seek out the three clans for cooperation after that, so the worries of the jujutsu commissioner and board members were all for naught.

Principal Matsumoto remembered the letter Emi had sent him yesterday afternoon. The Gojo family would be loyal to the Jujutsu Headquarters from hereon. That meant they would put their guard down in the meantime. But Satoru had been using his family's resources all this time. What would happen to those children?

"Shell organization?"

"Emi put down your sword. We're here to talk."

Satoru snatched the sword on Emi's hand skillfully. "Yep. We can't let you go around a small place like this with a sword," he announced while passing the weapon to Suguru beside him, who shook his head. "Shoko, hold her down, or else she'll destroy this room."

"On it." The brunette grabbed both the girl's hands behind her and pinned her on the ground. Shoko used her back to sit while she heaved a sigh of relief.

Nanami raised his hand, not minding the uproar that was happening right in front of him. "What do we need a shell organization for? Don't we have enough work?"

"Uhm, is it alright for Tokunaga-san to lie on the ground like that?" Misato appeared as if all the blood was drained on her face. She pointed at Emi, who was bound in the middle of the room, a cursed rope tying her down so she could not release any cursed energy. "Dr. Tomita? Yaga-san?"

Masamichi was drinking his morning coffee, and Osamu and Riko did not notice when the girl produced a broadsword out of nowhere. "Let them be, Kuroi-san. That's normal."

"If you don't let Emi vent out her anger, then she would be much scarier later on." The doctor gave a cup of hot chocolate to their recently acquired Star Plasma Vessel beside him. "You can add more sugar if the taste isn't sweet enough for you," he told Riko while grabbing the nearest basket of bread to get one.

They were currently outside of Jujutsu High's barriers, away from Tengen's eyes, so that they could talk about what happened yesterday. Suguru had escorted the Star Plasma Vessel and its caretaker to a place Nanami had rented in the outskirts of Tokyo. Thanks to Emi's quick thinking, they could gather in one place after leaving the Tomb. Riko, Misato, Emi, Satoru, and Suguru slept there for the night. While Shoko, Nanami, Dr. Tomita, and Masamichi followed them this morning.

Emi gave Suguru and her broad sword a glance before answering the question Nanami asked earlier. "We need a shell organization to separate us from the Gojo family since Ruru had already made a binding vow with Tengen. As long as we continue our work under this organization, he wouldn't suffer from the consequences."

The binding vow only mentioned the Gojo family and not the white-haired teen himself; if they created a group unaffiliated with Satoru's clan, they could circumvent the loophole of the agreement. Emi was not a part of the Gojo's first and foremost, so this would be an easy task.

However, the reason she was angry was because they were required to do twice the work now that they needed to hide the fact that there was a new organization.

Suguru observed the poker face that Emi was wearing all this time. "And who's going to be in charge of that?" They were all working separately from the Gojo Clan; however, most of their resources came from them. "We're not sure how binding vows identify relationships between people, so it was better to be safe and get our capital elsewhere."

Emi showed a quirky smile, and everybody had a foreboding that someone would be getting the shorthand of the stick. "We're going to get it from the Zenins."

2006 August 22

Nanami brought his usual suitcase when going out. The typical contents would be his weapon and urgent files that needed to be signed by Emi, so if he came upon her by chance, it would be filled out. The girl had been disappearing and reappearing at different time intervals, so it was hard to catch her in one place for a long time.

The teen wanted to drop all this work, to be honest, especially now that he had twice the effort and one annoying girl that followed him everywhere.

"These are the available places in Saitama, Amanai-san." The blonde passed a stack of papers to the former Star Plasma Vessel, who was not wearing her signature uniform since she was not studying in the same junior high anymore. "Tokunaga-senpai told me you can choose whatever since you would be living with her," he closed his briefcase solemnly while waiting for her to skim the files.

"Ah, yes! Emi-san has reviewed this?" Riko peeked curiously through the files while under the blank stare of Nanami. She seemed a little bit scared of him the first time they met, but she adjusted well.

The structure of the organization changed right after the meeting they had a week ago. They were grouped based on the people who could stay inside the Jujutsu High and those who could not. Satoru, Shoko, Suguru, and Nanami would continue to work as an affiliate of the Gojo Clan while being part of the shell organization as well. On the other hand, their newly acquired accomplices, Misato and Riko, would be working alongside Emi in Saitama in liaison duties while covering for their 'other' organization.

They opted to remove the former Star Plasma Vessel under the barrier so that Tengen wouldn't be able to get her back in case he changed his mind. Even though the binding vow was an excellent assurance, the man had lived for at least a thousand years, and he could have ways to evade the agreement. 'It was better to cover all bases,' his seniors said. Nanami begged to differ since they were not the ones doing the fieldwork. It was him.

"Gojo-senpai was the one who looked at those papers. While Geto-senpai was the one who checked for the safety of the neighborhood using his cursed spirits," he explained patiently, recalling how they made it such a big deal. Shoko had been the one to stop them from going overboard.

"Then—" she grabbed a sheet of paper from the stack then showed it to him, "—am I the one in charge of taking care of this?" Nanami noticed the girl had a business as usual manner when taking care of things. Riko's straightforwardness did not disappear because of the recent events; the merger only dampened it for a short while.

The most evident thing was that the former Star Plasma Vessel lost her childishness in just a short span of a week.

"No, I will be." The blonde took the paper from her hands and placed it on the three-inch pile of paper he had given her earlier. Taking back the files inside his suitcase, he reminded her what they needed to do, "You still needed to follow me around to know how things work before we can settle the house you will live in. Tokunaga-senpai told me if you need to watch me for another week."

Riko, in simpler terms, was 'interning' under him so she could independently work under Emi. Even after this short internship, she still needed to contact Nanami since they would need to share updates about their side of things. After that, the girl would still be welcome to ask him about anything work-related, but she needed to fix her oblivious attitude first. His senpais told him she was never allowed to live freely, so it made sense that it was her first time doing everything.

"Are we going somewhere, Kento-san?" The girl tilted her head when she saw her senior preparing to leave their temporary residence on the outskirts of Tokyo.

"You can call me Nanami, like the others." The blonde gestured for her to get ready so they could leave. It was already late in the afternoon, and he didn't want to go home late. "We need to visit the house you chose so you can look if we're going to buy it. Please select the other two designs while we're on the road so we can also check them on the way. "

"Then, Nanamin!"

"No. I said Nanami."

2006 August 25

They said you would be able to look death in the eyes when you were about to die. Emi wanted to express her disapproval of this quote in such a way people would know when to take idioms literally.

The girl had a staring contest with 'death' in one of her dreams, and she woke up again in cold sweat. It was happening every time she slept alone these days, and even if she was aware that Riko and Misato were in one of the rooms next to her, it didn't prevent her nightmares from haunting her.

The feeling of death would not sink in when you were on the verge of it. Instead, it would smack you in the face when you see the people lose their life around you—the feeling of dread that you didn't know how to express, the inability to save the people important to you, and the hope that the lifeless body of a person you once knew would breathe once again.

That was death.

The girl grabbed the alarm clock on her bedside table to look at the time, and with her face buried in the palm of her hands, she took a deep breath. 2:00 AM. It was way too early for this shit, and she knew there was no way she could fall back to sleep again. Emi had killed people without thinking twice; was that a mental health issue? Dr. Tomita told her this was post-traumatic stress disorder, but she was not sure. Her body was on guard all of the time, and the only time she could forget about everything was when she was in the presence of her friends.

Not entirely, no. But Emi knew her friends provided comfort. At least she knew they would be beside her, alive, every time she woke up.

It got better, though, once she started the medication the doctor gave her. Albeit there were times, Emi felt she was covered under piles of dead bodies once again. In her first year away from her current time, she was found by a family of four who resided in a human camp far away from Lis, Daiki and Kouki. They nursed her back to health and took care of her needs. Then a month after that the camp was attacked by a flood of cursed spirits from one side, and since they only had a few special-grade sorcerers from their group it ended in slaughter.

Dead bodies piled up on top of one another.

The man that took her in, one of the few powerful shamans of the camp, realized his wife was dead, and his only daughter was under Emi's protection. He went back to find them in the middle of the endless fighting and hid the two under the mountain of carcasses while throwing himself to death.

In the end, his daughter suffocated from the smell of rotting body and lack of oxygen and Emi barely survived but she activated her domain in the process.

Emi laughed in self-deprecation, falling back to her bed with empty heart. She fell into slavery sometime after that. The girl hadn't told anyone about this yet and she had glossed over the things she had experienced during counseling. Because really, she was holding everything well until now.

If not for the fact bloody scenes would flash in her mind whenever she blanked out Emi could pass off as a normal person.

2006 August 26

Shoko awkwardly put over the mask covering half of her face while Emi wore hers without any complaints. "Don't you think you need to cover your hair too since it's too inconspicuous?"

"Yeah, that's why I have this." The girl pulled out a black hairspray from behind her, removing the cap to spray some of it on her white hair. "I might need to cut my hair one of these days."

The two girl's stood inside the rented building's living room while browsing through files about the Big Three Sorcerer Families.

"By the way, I already sent a letter to Zenin Naobito." She intentionally did not say the 'family' since they wanted to talk to the clan head himself. Shoko followed Emi's instructions and ordered someone to give the message to him privately.

Emi finished spraying her fringe with temporary black hair dye, so she placed the can on the table before them. "The Kamo Clan Head?"

"Also done," the brunette answered while dressing up. They were wearing black leggings and a fitted top so they could move around easily. "Although I'm not sure why we need to visit the Kamo's when we already did?"

"The Kamo Clan had the closest ties with the Jujutsu Higher-ups. It's not something we could easily cut off, so we need to give them a reason to rely on us more than they were already doing with the HQ." Emi casually lifted her chin to see if Shoko was still recognizable under the mask. She gave her an approving glance before she gathered all the bags they would bring on the floor. "Let's go get their cursed tools."

During the start of Buddhism in the Nara Period (710 – 794 AD), Japan adopted the political system Ritsuryō-sei (律令制) where their law was based on Confucianism and Legalism (Fajia). The change of organization also led to the restructuring of governmental positions. The Kamo Clan's people became the Onmyoji (陰陽師, Oracle), a post under the Onmyoryo (陰陽寮, Bureau of Divination)[1] of the Ministry of Central Affairs (Nakatsukasasho). Needless to say, people trusted them with the fate of the whole country.

They were the 'big shots' in that period, even after the Emperor changed the capital to Heian[2]. At some point, they were given the authorization to keep the cursed tools that appeared during that time.

The Gojo family had their own cursed weapons, and they were personally owned by different people, while the ones hidden in the Kamo Compound were strictly stored in one place. And from Emi's words, they'd be easier to steal.

Shoko was pretty impressed with the plan, and it would be excellent blackmail material when push comes to shove. It was too bad Satoru and Suguru were sent to the countryside as a proxy for Nanami (awfully busy) and another kouhai. In truth, even Suguru could handle it alone, but ever since the risky attack in the Tomb, they opted to go outside in pairs.

"What time do you think Satoru and Suguru would get back?" Shoko threw the bags she was carrying inside the trunk of their car as she checked if they had forgotten anything else.

Emi gave her a thumbs-up, signaling that everything was okay on her side and they could go. "Maybe later tonight? They were commuting since we got first dibs on the car." She entered the driver's seat while Shoko was in the passenger's seat.

"Would you be okay using a car?" The brunette remembered the last time they rode on a vehicle, and the girl did not take it well because of her over-sensitivity to vibrations. "I'm surprised you know how to drive."

"Much better than the train," she sighed while buckling her seatbelt. The main roads were smoother compared to a few years ago Emi could handle it better this time. "And this is my first time driving."

"What?" Shoko heard the car engine start, and she panicked.

"Hold on tight."

"Damn it!" Shoko cursed under her breath while using the car to lean on for support.

"You're being overdramatic." Emi opened the car's trunk to get the bags, throwing a handful of them to the brunette who had yet to recover. After that, she explained the layout of the Kamo compound. "The clan's main hall is in the middle. The residential area is on the left, while the training ground and rooms are on the right. We need to get to the middle since that's the place where they hide the cursed tools."

"Fuck, give me five minutes." Shoko tried to compose herself while recovering from the sudden onslaught of dizziness. Emi, who didn't think her driving was that bad since she was in the driver's seat, gave her a water bottle to help with the nausea. "I wonder why I am the most affected between the two of us?" The brunette asked her friend before she drank from the bottle.

Honestly, Emi knew it was her fault, considering she tried her utmost to avoid most of the stops. She couldn't handle the continuous tremor of the car while in traffic, so she had to drive faster. "I wonder," she asked herself with faux ignorance, eyes blank while staring at the future doctor.

It took Shoko another five minutes to absorb the information that was thrown at her. Usually, Emi would brief her a day before, but this was the only time the Kamo Family Head was absent from their home, so they had to rush this mission. The jujutsu secret guards also came with the head, so all the more reason to not miss this chance. Although they could force their way inside, that wouldn't be productive, considering they needed to silence the people who would see them on the way.

There were only two protective barriers around the Kamo compound, and both were disabled by Emi right before they climbed over the wall. The two teens entered on the side where the training area was located, and since it was already afternoon, only a few people were practicing inside the rooms. The place was a little bit smaller than the Gojos, but the placement of the building was pretty much the same. The girl also had to take note of the presence of the people near them, seeing how Shoko was unable to because she was still disoriented.

"Shoko!" Emi exclaimed in a whisper when her friend fell on the ground face first. The teen winced and swiftly carried the brunette in her arms.

The girl closed her eyes when she felt herself getting worked up and opted to continue the mission alone with Shoko lying in her arms on a princess carry. Emi quickly infiltrated the clan hall and opened the hidden compartment at the end of the room to snatch all the Kamo family weapons. As luck would have it, there were no other protective charms that she needed to deactivate other than the initial barrier outside of the compound.

Emi estimated the number of things she stole, and from what she could remember, there should be more or less thirteen cursed tools in the clan's storage.

"Who are you?" A childish but confident voice interrupted her musings.

The teen was still carrying Shoko in her arms, so she did not bother turning around to see the kid behind her. "I'm just here to threaten your clan." Emi closed the bag where she kept the weapons and prepared to leave. She was not paid enough to deal with random kids.

There was the sound of footsteps running her way, so she used her foot to jump backward, distancing herself from the young short-haired boy. An attack was sent her way in the form of blood arrows which she quickly dodged. A look of amusement flashed on Emi's eyes before disappearing and reappearing beside the kid.

"Your name?" The girl's index finger was centimeters away from the boy's forehead.

The child's voice trembled because of fear, but he still answered, "Kamo Noritoshi." He held his ground even when Emi released a bit of her killing intent.

"Good," she nodded, obviously impressed with how he handled the situation. Emi pulled down her mask, letting the kid give her a cursory glance. "Tell your father to go fuck himself." She then released her cursed energy at the end of her fingertips and made the little boy faint.

1 Adopted from China, they emphasized the 'diviners.' They were crucial to delegating political power. A perfect example of this was figuring out the day of a couple's marriage (may or may not be holding a government post) depending on their 'eight characters.'

2 Heian Period (794 – 1185 AD), after the Nara Period and began when the Imperial Capital (central city) was moved from Nara to Heian-kyō (Kyoto).