Chapter 14: This Electric Feeling

Maki was walking in the dark hallway. It was lit up by sconces on the walls. She was heading to Nobara's room as she promised to in the morning. She was going there at around nine after dinner. Maki hoped Nobara didn't fall asleep.

"Need company?" Tsumiki appeared in the hallway from another adjacent corridor.

"Lady Tsumiki! I thought you were sleeping" Maki was confused as to why Tsumiki was up. She expected her to be fast asleep considering Tsumiki just came back from her travels. "You must be tired".

"Yeah I know hehe" Tsumiki stuck out her tongue as she laughed. "I wanted to see the woman my brother is going to marry. I want to be friends with her!".

"I see" Maki motioned for the two to walk straight in the vestibule, which will lead to Nobara's chamber. "She is a very nice person. You will surely like her" Maki held a smile to which Tsumiki took notice. Maki barely smiled. Overall, she was the serious type so seeing that expression from her, Tsumiki was reassured. Her brother was in good hands.

"Oh my god! Hi, please come in" Nobara opened the door after hearing it knock. She was in her nightgown just like the rest of them. She was waiting for Maki to appear but was surprised to see Tsumiki there as well.

"I hope I am not bothering you" Tsumiki bowed in apology. "I just couldn't wait to talk to you". Nobara's eyes went wide in shock.

"No, no" her hands waved frantically. "Please, I am curious about you too!" With that, the girls went to the back of Nobara's room where a set of sitting pillows laid next to the sliding doors leading to the pond. They sat down.

"You are probably wondering Nobara" Maki was speaking while the other two looked at her. "The reason why Lady Tsumiki and Master Fushigoro don't look alike is because they are step-siblings. Master Fushigoro's father married Lady Tsumiki's mom" she explained.

"Yes! Yes, we are not blood-related but siblings nonetheless" Tsumiki chimed in.

"I see! That makes sense haha" Nobara was glad Maki cleared it up. The thought has been on her mind but she didn't wish to be rude and outright ask Tsumiki. The three girls began talking about Tsumiki's travels, Nobara's village, hobbies, and Maki's troubles.

"Are you sure you are happy about this decision?" Tsumiki asked; worry displaying on her face. She knew how much Yuta treasured Maki. Unfortunately, Tsumiki was never able to get close to her but she knew Maki was in love with Yuta. She felt bad for not being able to do anything. Tsumiki proceeded to squeeze Maki's hand.

"Yeah, I don't wish to get in your business. It's your choice at the end but" Nobara was looking down in sadness. "I feel like you should still fight for your love" Nobara pleaded. She wanted Maki to be happy even if the clans were against it.

"It's fine. I already have decided" Maki sighed. "Thank you for suggesting though" she displayed a fake smile.

"Anyway, Tsumiki. Why don't you tell Nobara why you travelled for so long?" Maki changed the subject so it wouldn't get depressing.

"Of course!" Tsumiki clapped her hands together, lighting up her face again. "It actually started when I was cursed back in the day. I had been in a coma for a long time but my brother was always by my side to help me recover" despite it being a sad topic, Tsumiki was cheerful as she explained. Nobara observed. "Unfortunately, things got suuuuper complicated when the whole war thing happened and I was almost killed!" Tsumiki moved her hands to emphasize the events. Maki and Nobara were carefully watching her. "Even worse! Fushigoro was caught in a trap by the evil guys so he couldn't help me! But" she calmed down as she continued, "Yuji was there to help. I really appreciate what he did for me" Nobara gulped as she looked at her. She had a blush formed on her cheeks and her eyes gleamed. A pretty smile plastered across Tsumiki's face. Nobara could tell she held a huge admiration for Yuji.

"He really came through" Maki agreed.

"Yeah. I am so glad he was there to save me. I am so grateful to him" Tsumiki looked so happy talking about Yuji that Nobara felt a little guilty for sending him that letter. But he is the only one I can tell. Sukuna is practically his twin and has lived inside him, which means that Yuji will most likely understand how manipulative and scary he can be. Nobara was in deep thought. However, I can't lead Yuji on. Not when Tsumiki seems to be in love with him.

"Yes, I met him. Lord Yuji seems like such a good man" Nobara added.

The three continued to talk as time flew by. It was already midnight by the time their conversations came to a halt. Nobara was so happy she had another friend to rely on in her lonely life here at the Zenin mansion. She quickly wrote to her parents about the day and went to sleep.

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Sukuna kicked Deto square in the face using his dominant leg. The creature instantly slammed against the back of the already collapsing building, damaging it even further. He choked up blood and coughed the contents below him. "You fuckers failed!" Sukuna shouted with anger, glaring at Zano to kick him next.

"I understand your anger Master" Zano tried reasoning with him. Unlike the tall one, Deto, Zano was the more cautious of the two. He chose communication over violence when addressing Sukuna. "However, we tried-" Zano was kicked as well. He was sent flying to hit the other side of the room. Deto and Zano's bodies laid horizontally straight from each other, perfectly symmetrical.

"Don't fuck with me!" Sukuna continued his lecture, "you weaklings, failed to take down Yuji. And also had Choso back him up" he clenched his fists. The other minion, Gato, stood there in silence, perturbed.

"If I may Master" Uruame interrupted Sukuna's speech. She was the only one allowed to do that out of everyone in the group. He allowed her to move freely unlike the rest. "It seems the plan with Fushigoro didn't go so well either" her implications made Sukuna suck his teeth. "Tch!" He uttered.

"I understand your frustrations; however, we need to use our heads. Not just barge in on them" Uruame stated. If it wasn't for her, the rest of the minions would have been beaten worse. Instead of looking grateful though, the three were assembled together again; ready for their master's next set of orders, unshaken.

"Hmph!" Sukuna was still annoyed by their failures. He used two fingers to rub his eyes as determination came back. His mouth twisted into a wide grin. "Alright then" he turned his attention to the only woman in the room. "What's your plan?".

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Sets of porn magazines laid out on a floor table as Yuji sat shifting through them. Frankly, he was bored. Ever since the attack, Choso ordered him to just rest while he handled all the meetings and paperworks as usual. Yuji never minded this since Choso was always at it from the beginning; however, this time, Yuji lowkey wished he would force him to take another chance at work. Of course his elder brother would never do that.

"Damn I need a new one" he finished beating his meat to the latest magazine. "Hah" Yuji sighed as he sat on a sitting pillow next to the low table. His body leaned back, staring at the ceiling as his palms rested behind him on the tatami mat, arms bent.

"Lord Yuji!" A servant popped in. Yuji cocked his head to his left side to look at the door where he stood. "Pardon my intrusion but there is a gentleman from the Zenin clan, who wishes to deliver a letter to you".

"A letter?" Yuji was baffled. Usually, all the letters from the other clans would go straight to Yuji's office where Choso would have the first glance. Most times, Yuji wouldn't even know about it since he frequented his office so little.

"Yes" the servant answered. "He only wishes for you to receive it". The servant led his master to the gate of the Kamo residence. It was nighttime. Probably around ten; most of the residents were expected to be asleep by now. Not Choso though. Yuji knew that, he felt guilty as he reached the front.

"Master Yuji" Arata bowed in front of him.

"Ah! Please Arata. Yuji is fine" he scratched the back of his head as a light chuckle escaped his lips. No matter the occasion, Yuji was always smiling.

"Here. I am sorry to appear unannounced but it seems Lady Kugisaki wishes me to deliver this letter to you" Arata explained. He was in Zenin's bodyguard attire, which consisted of white cotton flowy shirt tucked into a hakama. Yuji, on the other hand, was in a silky red robe; a night gown.

"Nobara?!" Yuji sounded excited. A warm feeling spread inside him despite the cold weather. He took it without hesitating. "Rumi" he addressed the servant behind him, "please take Arata to the tea room to serve him some snacks" Rumi bowed behind him as Yuji turned to face Arata, "I will go to my room and write a response as soon as possible. Thank you for all the trouble!" Arata bowed in response.

Yuji rushed off; a little too eagerly as Arata observed. Rumi politely guided Arata to the tea room where he waited to be served as well as Yuji's response letter.

"Shit!" Yuji was so excited that he was about to rush into his office to show Choso. He caught himself before that happened though. His room was left the same but Yuji brushed off all the naughty magazines and placed Nobara's letter in the center. It took special priority over anything else. He quickly opened the content and read a few times. His smile grew more and more each time. The last part bothered him though. Nobara wanted to tell him something severely important but she wanted confirmation that he could be trusted.

"Of course!" He exclaimed aloud to particularly no one in the room. Anything for her. He thought in his head. Yuji began writing a response. However, he kept making mistakes and throwing the useless pieces into the trash. He decided to proceed with letter six. It read,

Nobara!

I am so happy to hear from you! In fact, I am elated to the max. Please don't feel any responsibility as I will happily come to you anytime. Just call out to me whenever you need.

I am longing to see you. It's been quite some time since our kiss. I miss your tender skin and soft touch. Also, your warm words! I wish to come over right away but I am told to rest in my room (my brother Choso is very strict :/). However, I will try to as soon as possible!

You can trust me in anything. Anything I tell you. It could be something embarrassing since I have a few of those haha. But in all seriousness, please know that you can rely on me. Whatever your heart is keeping, tell me so I can soothe it. I love you~

Sincerely Yours,

Yuji Itadori

The Cool Master

He grinned to himself as the content laid properly. Saying "I love you" to her was risky but Yuji didn't care. He wanted her for himself. The guilt was fading away. It's not like his best friend, Fushigoro, was interested in her romantically. So, Yuji still had a chance. Not to mention, Nobara was reaching out to him this time. It was a big sign.

"Is the tea good?" Yuji asked Arata as he hopped in the small room. The chamber only displayed a small breakfast table that sat low on the tatami mat while a four set of sitting pillows accessorized it. The table was against the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the courtyard. The rest of the space was filled with cabinetry that held paper bagged teas and all the necessities. The room would be converted into a Japanese Tea Ceremony whenever they wanted.

"Ah, it's splendid. Thank you so much for the hospitality" Rumi came to take Arata's tea set and empty plates, which held snacks not too long ago. Arata bowed in courtesy at both of them. Rumi bowed back as he exited the room to put back the dishes.

"No, no. The pleasure is all mine!" Yuji handed him the response letter as Arata got up to receive it. Yuji watched as he placed the content into his bag and hung it over his shoulder. "I will walk you to the gate" he told him.

"Lady Kugisaki is indeed a very kind woman" Arata agreed with Yuji as they made their short strides to the exit. Yuji talked away about how much he admired Nobara and Arata wondered if there were any romantic relationship between the two. However, it wasn't his business. Many prominent clans held arranged marriages meaning that it was common for them to have concubines or other forms of romantic relationship that were hidden from everyone's view. Arata wasn't going to judge anyone; his job was to help who he serves.

"I hope to see you soon. Afterall, I want to get her response" Yuji chuckled.

"Of course, take care Lord Yuji" Arata bowed for the last time and Yuji waved goodbye as the two went their separate ways. A warm smile held on Yuji's lips as he thought of rereading that letter again.

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While so much was happening back in Tokyo, Satoru and Shoko were enjoying their vacation at the Gojo summer estate. The mountains finally turned white from its greenery after snow invaded the lands. Shoko held a coffee mug to her chest as she watched from the floor to ceiling window that encapsulated a whole one eighty view of the living room. She felt so serene watching the white flakes fall on the glass, turning into water as it cascades down, similar to how the water fell on her body earlier in the shower. Shoko wraps her shawl tighter around her while taking a sip. Overall, enjoying her welcomed stay.

"Ahhh~ I feel hella refreshed" Satoru sighed in content as he came from his morning dip. He took baths at unusual times. "Whatcha craving?" He asked Shoko, who turned her head to look at the kitchen. Satoru was behind a lengthy island, turned away from her to open the refrigerator. The fridge was just invented in the Taisho era; however, being stupendously rich, the Gojo's had one in every one of their households.

"I am fine with my coffee" Shoko answered him while taking another gulp. "Besides, I don't really eat breakfast". Shoko watched as he brought out some vegetables and packaged salmon cuts, to make a hearty meal.

"That's not good Shoko!" Satoru stated annoyingly. "You are a doctor yet you do the opposite. Guess I will be taking care of you from now on" he had a smile plastered on his face as Satoru began cutting the veggies.

"Oh, please Satoru. What makes you think you can do something when my parents couldn't?" Shoko finished her coffee. The black liquid was no longer inside the white mug. Shoko drank pure black coffee with no sugar or milk, much to Satoru's distaste. She hated sweets while he enjoyed it. She also loved alcohol while he avoided it. They were the opposite of each other.

"Because" Satoru looked up from his work, "no one understands us like we do". The room fell silent. The two were looking at each other, longingly. It wasn't the romantic affection a couple feels but rather a void, which can only be filled by only their presence. The unspoken truth was that: they couldn't stay away from each other. It's like all the sufferings and death they've been through, pushed them against each other until there was no space left. It's as if two walls closed-in on them, crushing their backs until their breath was the only oxygen around them.

"I guess I will have some this time" after some time, Shoko broke the silence. She walked over to wash her cup. "Besides, I want to taste the great Satoru's cooking" she smirked and emphasized the "great" word to indicate her disbelief.

"Yes! Coming right up Shoko!" Satoru ignored her remark and began preparing the food. Shoko took the navy scrunchie from her left wrist and tied her hair into a low pony behind her neck after finishing washing the mug. She turned around from the sink and stood next to Satoru's right and placed her hand on the kitchen island. "Lemme help you out" she told him and grabbed the rest of the ingredients.

The two finished making miso soup, salmon, rice, and natto and went next door to where the dining room sat empty. Nobody has been there for a quiet amount of time, it felt like Shoko and Satoru were invading a sacred place. The room was large with a very lengthy dining table and delicate chairs. Sets of paintings of nature of the mountain and Gojo family's portraits were decorated on the walls. Four large windows looked out to the mountain. Shoko and Satoru sat across from each other in the middle of the room. Sets of chairs were stationed next to both of them. A giant chandelier hung above their heads in the center of the room.

"You guys are waaaay too fancy" Shoko said as she picked up her chopsticks. Behind her, the windows looked to the giant hills, which only Satoru could see as he took the opposite side of the table. However, his eyes were only on her.

"Haha. I feel you" Satoru blew on his food as it emitted smoke. "I hate the whole lord bullshit and don't even get me started on the traditional decorations. Yuck" he stuck his tongue out in disgust before gulping the now warm rice. He added more salt to the dish and mixed it in with his chopsticks.

"What a first world problem" Shoko rolled her eyes. She didn't care how ungrateful Satoru was for all the shit he had though. He acted spoiled but Shoko knew how caring he was. Anytime they would go to a drinking pub, Satoru would invite their colleague: Ijichi. He would notice how Ijichi has been overworked. He would be the reason why Ijichi was so busy but Satoru would make up for it by forcing him to take breaks. Shoko never teased Satoru about it but instead, held a smile.

"Shut up" Satoru pouted. "Do you like my cooking or not? Come on. Praise me" he smirked at her, waiting for appreciation.

"Mmm" Shoko studied the food. "Hmmm" she chewed thoughtfully as a hand held her chin, making it look like she was thinking.

"You don't have to think that hard! Dumbass…" he muttered under his breath.

"Haha! It's delicious!" She laughed out loud. Shoko then continued devouring the rest of the meal. A warm blush spread across Satoru's face. He hasn't been wearing his glasses ever since they got to the estate. Thank god there were no curses nearby. Although, Satoru would love to kick some ass.

"Yeah, yeah. I am great at everything" he told her and ate his food too. The statement was true. Satoru was good at everything. It got annoying sometimes when Shoko challenged him but she did it knowing the results. They were so familiar with each other that they were practically married; unofficially.

Since it was snowing outside, they couldn't really do anything outdoors so the day consisted of them laughing, talking, and drinking. Satoru drank only a little but kept to his juices while Shoko gobbled some shots down. It takes a while for Shoko to get drunk though. She had the highest tolerance that Saotru knew of. However, the elephant in the room remained as the two were sitting in the formal living room where they were last night, sleeping on the sofa: were they staying in separate rooms? The Gojo summer state had two living rooms. Guests would mostly stay in the formal one where it led from the entrance to the left wing of the house. The kitchen sat directly in front of the entrance, enclosed by a wall where the large informal living room sat behind. The dining room was adjacent to the informal living room and kitchen. Shoko loved the informal space more since it was much bigger and had a one eighty view of the mountains and ocean, while the formal one had smaller windows, which looked out to the front of the house. However, it did look out to the front garden, which she admired. Beautiful sets of blue, red, pink, and orange flowers filled the field.

"Oh! I haven't shown you our hot spring" Satoru exclaimed as he won the last game. Shoko looked up in surprise. How many cool shits this place has? She pondered. The two were sitting on the floor in the formal living room, playing cards. They played a couple of times but Shoko was able to win a few. However, she was sure Satoru let her win. Afterall, her best friend was great at everything; annoyingly.

"What do you guys not have?!" Shoko crossed her arms. She was actually excited to let out her fatigues. Because of her work, she was barely able to visit any hot springs back in Tokyo; so, this sounded refreshing.

"Not everything, everything. But we do have quite a lot" Satoru grinned. "Grab your stuff" the two got up to leave the room and haul up the stairs where the bedrooms sat. In the morning, when they woke up, Satoru was still holding Shoko in his arms on the sofa. The two stared at each other without saying anything, without uttering a word. God, why is it always so awkward in these types of situations? They thought. Shoko turned her head away from him and started sliding off her blanket. Satoru pulled his hand away to let her and the two stood up silently. Shoko folded the blanket while Satoru went to the bathroom upstairs. In retrospect, they hadn't decided which room was whose. Shoko thought he would occupy the master while she took another room but Satoru placed both of their luggages in there to signal that they will be staying together. Shoko's heart raced as she thought about the hot spring. She wondered if it was divided between genders like in Tokyo.

"Where is it?" Shoko asked Satoru as they walked downstairs. The two held their belongings as Satoru motioned for them to walk to the right wing of the home.

"This way. It's outside but you will barely feel the cold. It's hot and toasty" he chuckled. Satoru seemed excited for the bath as much as Shoko was.

The two reached a door, normal as the rest of the house. It led to a room where it separated into two bathrooms with a long hallway, which led to the hot spring. She could barely see outside though, the glass doors were covered in steam. "I will see you in a bit~" Satoru waved as he headed inside the left bathroom. Shoko guessed the hot springs were gendered as well since the two restrooms held a man sign on the left while a woman sign on the right. Shoko headed into the women's room.

She took off her clothes and opened a wooden locker that held a body towel and a white robe with pink stripes. She surveyed the large room. It wasn't a traditional bathroom. On one side, a set of lockers stood while the other had multiple showers. It felt like a mini hot spring resort. She hopped into the shower and cleaned herself off. Shoko wrapped the white towel around her. Her hair was already in a bun behind her head before she showered. The scrunchie held it in place. Shoko then exited the room, not wanting to make Satoru wait too long.

"Finally, you took forever" he complained as he was leaning against the wall, next to the male bathroom entrance. Satoru had a white towel wrapped around his waist and the rest of his body was exposed. Shoko wasn't new to seeing almost every part of him. Afterall, she healed him countless times. His milky skin emitted a glow from the shower he just took. Shoko tried looking away, she didn't know why. If it were any other girl, they would drool over his perfect figure: his chest, abs, long legs, broadened shoulders, pretty eyes, angelic hair, which were a bit wet and was laying low compared to its normal high state, and his beautiful face.

"Stop complaining" Shoko sighed and walked towards the hallway, which led to the hot spring. Satoru clenched his fist while his other hand went to his mouth. His face was burning from the blush that he tried so hard to hide. His eyes darted all over her towel covered body when she came out. Satoru didn't know what it was but he just wanted to tear the towel off of Shoko and look at the content. She saw so much of him that he wondered how she looked. The towel covered her breasts and was too high. But it was tight against her skin, he could see the outlines of her bosoms. The towel ended on a little atop the knee where he could see her smooth legs. Shoko had a pale complexion compared to Satoru. As she walked away, he stared at her back. Her ass was as big as her breasts. He wanted to grab it.

"Wait for me dummy" he walked behind her. Shoko opened the door and headed outside. It wasn't snowing anymore in the evening. Cold air hit them but it was quickly overpowered by the steam emitting from the ground. They felt warm instantly. Shoko was in awe at how beautiful the place looked. The hot spring was huge and it had the perfect view of the mountain not too far away. They could see the waves of the ocean as well. It was like being in Bali. However, Shoko noticed one giant hot spring; meaning that it wasn't gendered.

"Wow" was all she said as Satoru sank into the smokey water. Their towels were a thin fabric that was okay against the hot spring water. Possibly why anyone can bathe together.

"Told ya you will love it" he smirked up at her, waiting for Shoko to dive in. She proceeded to test the waters by placing her dominant foot into the spring. It felt good; heat rushed to the rest of her body. Shoko continued disappearing into the water and sat across from Satoru. The two were facing each other in the middle of the hot spring, the mountain on one side while the mansion on the other. "Ahhh!" He closed his eyes to relax fully. Shoko smiled.

"Damn, if you told me about the hot spring, I would have come earlier" she told him. Satoru opened his eyes and frowned.

"Why can't you come for me?" His question made the two look away. It hung in the air where smokes dressed them. If it was anyone standing on the ground, they wouldn't be able to spot Satoru or Shoko. It was that foggy.

"Be-because you never pushed" Shoko said after some time. Satoru never insisted on her coming because he knew how busy her work was. However, he seemed to regret it now. Satoru got closer to her as Shoko looked up at him. Despite them sitting, he still towered over her. He was close; too close.

"I didn't know you wanted me to" he whispered, as their breathing got hotter. Their hearts were beating loudly.

"Satoru…" Shoko's eyes gleamed as she said his name as if to plead for him. He closed the distance further and turned his face to the side to take her lips. Shoko kissed him back and their eyes closed, taking each other in. Her hands rose from the water to hold him. One hand took to his hair while the other grabbed his shoulder behind his arm. That arm of his slid behind her back, down to her waist while the other hand cupped her face. "Mmh" sounds of faint moaning escaped their lips as they switched from side to side to kiss; hungrily. As if they wanted to do so for a long time.

Shoko pulled away to suck in a breath. The hot spring was heating up their body; it was difficult to grasp fresh air. Especially when Satoru was stealing hers.

"Kiss me one more time" he demanded, his voice raspy. Shoko looked at him in surprise. How far will this go? She asked herself…