Author's note: This came out SO MUCH LONGER than I anticipated. Forgive me pls lmao.
Chapter 12
Gojo walked through the school at the goddamn crack of dawn. It wasn't even seven in the morning when his plane touched down in Tokyo and he felt dead on his feet. He yawned, checking his watch as he turned down the corridor to the boys' dorms. The jetlag made him tired, but he wanted to eat before resting. And since Geto was on a mission and Ieiri was too, he'd have to either eat alone or bother someone else.
He had half the mind to bother Kaia, but he would have felt a little bad waking her up so early. Not to mention, he didn't want to risk detention for sneaking into the girls' dorms. It just would have made his jetlag worse.
He settled on Kento Nanami. He liked Nanami enough. He was awfully serious and didn't laugh much at Gojo's antics, but he still enjoyed his company. So Gojo walked a little further into the corridor and stopped at Nanami's door, knocking rather loudly.
"Nanami! Open up! I'm hungry and want pancakes!"
No response. Odd. Nanami was usually up before anyone else.
He knocked louder.
"Come on! I'm starving!"
The door swung open just enough to show Nanami's frame and nothing else. He very clearly had just been asleep, as his eyes were still bloodshot and there were indents in his bare chest from the blanket he must have fallen asleep on.
"Could you be any louder? You're such a menace," Nanami hissed, keeping his voice low for some reason.
Gojo raised one eyebrow above the other and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe as Nanami carefully angled his body in a way to prevent Gojo from looking inside his room.
"You're acting strangely," Gojo pointed out.
"No, you're just difficult. I'll get food with you later," Nanami said, voice still quiet. He went to close the door but Gojo stuck his foot out and caught it. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once at the room behind Nanami.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a girl in there," Gojo hummed.
Nanami's eyes widened and his lips parted as he started to stutter out an excuse. Gojo didn't even hear what he was saying because he started grinning and laughing into his hand. This was great. Perfect student Kento Nanami sneaking a girl into his room? It must have been one of the first-years. Maybe the girl with dyed blonde hair who was constantly trying to flirt with him. What was her name? Gojo couldn't remember and didn't really care to find out.
"Hah! I'm right! C'mon, who is it?" Gojo teased.
"No one is in here! Go away!"
Nanami tried to close the door again but Gojo caught it with his arm this time and peeked into the second-year's room just enough to see another figure in his bed. Only, this figure didn't have badly dyed hair. This figure had a familiar head of auburn hair.
Gojo stared, suddenly going silent as Nanami shoved him back into the hallway and joined him, closing the door as he did.
"Is that Murakami?" Gojo blurted with wide eyes. Damn. He felt shocked for some reason.
"Yes," Nanami said with a heavy sigh.
"So you two are sleeping together. That little liar," he thought aloud as he rubbed his chin in disbelief.
"What? No! That's not it at all. What are you going on about?"
Gojo didn't believe him. Not for a second.
He tasted something sour in his mouth and it had a direct impact on his mood because now he wasn't hungry at all. Now he only felt agitated.
"You don't need to explain yourself to me," he said with a shrug after crossing his arms.
Nanami groaned, "why are you acting weird? Nothing's going on with me and Kaia."
"Sure," Gojo drawled sarcastically.
"It's not. You really want to know why she's here?"
"Not really," Gojo said. He uncrossed his arms and plunged them into his pockets and started to walk away, but Nanami followed him.
"She's here because there is something out there that's stalking her. I don't know if it's a cursed spirit or a curse user, but something's going on because all of the sudden she's hearing things and blacking out in the shower and waking up in the middle of the night after dreaming about her throat getting cut. That's why she's here. Not because you think I'm having sex with her."
Gojo stopped and slowly pivoted on his heel, narrowing his eyes and staring at Nanami.
"What?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's been going on for months now. You didn't see her last night. She was scared. She's been scared," Nanami said.
That wasn't good. Gojo could hear Kaito's words in the back of his head, talking about the broken seals around his house and how the higher-ups had it out for him. He didn't like that at all. He thought of the shadow behind Kaia's shoulder and the bruise on her back.
Someone really did have it out for the Murakami family then…
"Shit," Gojo cursed. He paced back and forth and tried to think of a link. Anything that could have connected the dots between the broken seals at the house to the bruise on Kaia's back.
"Why are you acting like this? What do you know that I don't?" Nanami pressed.
Gojo shook his head. He didn't want to get into this now. What he wanted was to talk to Kaito Murakami.
"Is there something going on with you and Kaia? Something that I should know about? Because you're acting like there is," Nanami said flatly.
Gojo looked at where Nanami was watching him with a supremely unimpressed expression. His lips were pursed into a straight line and his eyes were devoid of any and all emotion.
"You sound like Ieiri," Gojo muttered. "And no."
"You sure about that?"
Gojo ignored him and instead said, "the weird stuff isn't limited to just her. Weird things are happening around her entire family. Her father told me as much."
"He did? Why were you talking to Kaito Muraka—"
"Don't worry about it. Just keep an eye on her," Gojo said. He didn't hear Nanami call after him or follow him as he went to his room.
He told Kaito he would look out for his daughter and Gojo was a man of his word. He just needed to figure out how.
"They want you to what?" Kaito snapped.
"You heard me. They want to send me back to Okinawa," Kaia said under her breath, wincing from where she was sprawled out on her bed. She'd been back in her dorm after classes for the day and decided it was time to call her father and explain the mission the higher-ups assigned her. He cursed up a storm on the other end of the line and Kaia almost wondered if she shouldn't have told him at all.
"Kaia?"
Kaia narrowed her eyes when her father's cursing was replaced with her sister's calm voice instead.
"Maha? Where's Dad?"
"Throwing a tantrum. Mom is trying to talk him off a cliff. He keeps saying he's going to kill all the higher-ups," Maha explained.
"Ah shit. I knew I shouldn't have said anything," Kaia groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Is the ancestral home really that bad? I'd like to see it. I'm kind of jealous you got to go actually," Maha said, likely more to herself and less to Kaia.
It didn't matter though. Kaia reacted immediately.
"Yes, it really is that bad. I don't want you to ever go there or even think about it. Better yet, don't set foot on Okinawa at all if you can help it. The property is an awful place," Kaia said. She felt a chill go up her spine as she thought of the shrines around the house and that old stagnant pond.
"You sound like Dad. Mom hasn't even been there. Just you two," Maha said quietly. Kaia could just hear the pout in her voice.
"And it should stay that way. I'm serious," Kaia insisted. She sighed and pulled her hair out of its standard messy bun and massaged her sore scalp. She either needed a haircut or needed to start wearing her hair down more often.
"Yes, Ma'am," Maha said a little sarcastically.
"Sorry. It's just… It's not a nice place," Kaia mumbled. "Anyway, what's new with you? Have you finalized your Trinidad vacation yet?"
Maha gave a very loud, very dramatic sigh.
"No. Classes at the community college already started and Dad is being an ass about the whole thing. Says he won't let his daughter go to an island alone and miss school. And none of my other friends want to come. So I guess I have to put a hold on it. It's so stupid. I'm not even at a four-year school yet. I don't know why he cares," Maha explained. Kaia could hear the sadness and disappointment in her older sister's voice and it made her heart hurt.
"I'll go with you," Kaia offered, knowing just how badly Maha had wanted to go. She'd spent over half the year obsessing over the place. It almost seemed cruel not to indulge her.
"I'd love that, but you're a sorcerer now. You'll have missions."
There was a sadness in her voice that sounded terribly miserable and it made Kaia wonder when exactly Maha started to sound so lonely.
"I don't care about the missions. I can turn them down if I want. There's a special grade sorcerer who does that. She never takes assignments," Kaia said.
"You don't want to do that. Mom and Dad got word about your recommendation for promotion and they're so proud of you. You'll be able to make so much money now that—"
"My what?" Kaia blurted. Her eyes doubled in size and she stood up, suddenly pacing around the room. There was no way. Maha had to be confused. Kaia hadn't been recommended for a promotion? Surely, someone would have told her by now. Right?
There was a pause on the other line.
"…Was I not supposed to tell you that?"
"Maha! Give me the phone!" a voice shouted in the background. A moment full of audible commotion later, the sounds of her mother's voice filled her ears. "Sorry, Sweetheart. We got a letter today with the good news. Did Yaga not talk to you?"
"No, he's been on a mission all day," Kaia said. She tried to smother the grin on her face and opted to pump her mother for more information. "Soooo, I got a promotion?"
"Gah! I guess the surprise has already been ruined. You were recommended for promotion to Grade 1 by Mei Mei after the report came out about you exorcising that cursed spirit with her!" Ren said quickly, as if she was battling to get the words out as fast as possible.
Kaia's mouth fell open. She hadn't been expecting a recommendation at all, but she definitely hadn't been expecting a recommendation to Grade 1. At the most, she figured she finally deserved the recommendation to Grade 2. But this? This was better! This was something entirely different!
She felt like she was on cloud nine and squealed at the top of her lungs.
"GRADE 1?" she shouted in excitement. She jumped around her room in excitement, laughing and dancing to no music.
"Yes, Sweetheart!" her mother gushed. "We're so proud of you! If you were home, we would have a celebration for you!"
"I'm gonna cry!" Kaia said with a laugh. She wiped her eyes even though there were no tears and immediately worked on putting her boots back on so she could run and share the good news with Nanami and Haibara.
"Try to act surprised when Yaga tells you, okay?" her mother reminded.
"Of course. I gotta go and tell my friends! Love you!" Kaia said quickly.
"Love you more."
Kaia giggled hysterically and hurried through the school, looking for her friends. They weren't training the courtyard, they weren't in the cafeteria, and they weren't in the common room. That meant they were probably in their dorms. And Kaia, not one to care, especially after last night, marched right over to the boys' dorms and knocked on Nanami's door.
"Nanami! Open up!" she announced.
A moment went by and the door behind her opened up instead. She craned her neck over her shoulder to see if it was maybe Haibara, but it wasn't. It was Ijichi instead, his dark hair matted to the side of his face as if he'd been asleep when she showed up.
"Murakami, you're not supposed to be here! This is the boys' dorms," he said right away.
"Whatever. Where's Nanami? Or Haibara?" she pressed.
"They got sent on missions right after class. Haibara will be back in a few hours. Not sure about Nanami though. His missions take longer ever since his promotion," Ijichi explained.
Kaia groaned in dramatic fashion and threw her hands up over her head in exasperation.
"No Nanami. No Haibara. No Ieiri. All of my friends have left me. I'm all alone," she complained, feigning tears and wiping her eyes.
Ijichi snorted, "are we not friends?"
She paused in her dramatic hissy fit and put her arms down.
"Aw, Ijichi. Are we friends?" she asked, pouting her lower lip.
Ijichi's face flushed and he glared.
"Stop being dramatic. Of course we're friends," he said, even though he refused to look her in the eye.
"Great! That means I can tell you that I've been recommended for a promotion to Grade 1!" she squealed when she couldn't hold it in any longer. She may or may not have jumped into the air and clapped her hands together like an idiot, but she could not care less if she tried. She was just so friggen happy and excited and—
"Wait, really? Murakami, that's amazing," Ijichi said. He no longer glared at her and instead actually somewhat smiled at her. And Kaia, not one to spoil the excitement, grinned even harder and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and making him spin in a circle with her.
"Agh! Why are you so strong?" he whined when she made him continue to spin with her.
"Murakami, what are you doing in the boys' dorms?"
Kaia halted and saw Yaga standing there, sighing and shaking his head.
"Oh, please don't give me detention! I swear I wasn't trying to do anything bad! I just wanted to tell my friends about my recom—oops," she said, immediately stopping herself as she remembered her mother telling her to at least pretend to act surprised when Yaga gave her the good news.
Yaga glared and crossed his arms.
"You weren't supposed to know about the recommendation just yet," he deadpanned.
"Well, then don't send letters to my family before telling me," Kaia said very casually, like that time when she was five and told her father that princesses could wear whatever color dress they want. Her tone was probably (definitely) not appropriate enough to talk to Yaga, but she was a little too excited to care.
He exhaled and shook his head.
"Come on, Murakami. Let's talk," he said, gesturing for her to follow him.
She did, staying a few feet behind him as she followed him away from the dorms and to his office. They made it after only a few minutes and Kaia sat in the chair in front of Yaga's wooden desk and folded her hands in her lap to try and contain her excitement. He leafed through some papers, pushing aside a cursed corpse as he did.
"I suppose this is a moot point since you already know, but you've been recommended for promotion to Grade 1," he stated.
"I can't believe it. I really didn't expect it at all! I mean, yeah. I thought it was time I be promoted to Grade 2, but Grade 1? I had no idea that Mei Mei thought I did that well! I was just trying to get out of there alive, y'know? I wasn't gunning for anything," Kaia babbled.
A ghost of a smile flickered across Yaga's face as he handed her the recommendation from across the desk. She took it and read over the words, smiling until her cheeks hurt.
"I believe that. It's difficult to impress Mei Mei of all people, so you should be proud," he started. He pulled another piece of paper from a scattered mess. "Unfortunately, there are no first grade sorcerers immediately available to assess you."
The smile fell right from Kaia's face.
"What? What about Nanami?" she asked.
Yaga shook his head.
"No. You and Nanami are too close and the higher-ups will think he's biased towards you," he said right away.
She deflated. She had an argument ready on the tip of her tongue. Ready to point out that if anything, that meant Nanami would be harder on her, but she didn't bother. It wasn't like Yaga had a say in it anyway, only the higher-ups had a say and they clearly hated her family, so of course, they would delay her promotion.
"Oh."
"Don't worry, Murakami. I pulled some strings. Instead of a first grade sorcerer evaluating you, a special grade sorcerer will. Specifically, Satoru. He'll accompany you on your mission and evaluate you accordingly," Yaga explained.
Her mind raced a million miles a minute. So, she wouldn't have to be stuck in limbo waiting for a promotion that would never come. She'd just have to go on a simple mission with Gojo and not screw it up. Easy, right?
Except there was the fact that the thought of being alone on a mission with Gojo made her heart feel like it was about to burst from her damn chest.
"Okay. Do I have a mission? Or do I have to wait for the higher-ups to throw me a bone?" she asked.
"No, you've got one. I suspect that the higher-ups weren't happy with me pushing for you, which is why they assigned an overseas mission for this. That's not typically how we do things. I'd rather you be local so you'd have support, but you'll be fine as long as you're with Satoru. You'll be flying to Portugal and exorcising a spirit in an abandoned cathedral in a few days," Yaga said, handing her another set of papers.
Kaia held back a sigh.
"They always send my parents on overseas missions. A disproportionate amount. Figures they would do the same to me," she murmured.
"I don't disagree, but at least you have a mission. I'll let Satoru know today as well. All of the information on your mission is in there," he said.
Kaia prayed it was going to be a quick mission. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to last on a mission with Gojo without trying to kill the prick. There was also the fact she was starting to feel all weird and fluttery around him but she was dutifully ignoring that annoying little detail.
"Don't look so disappointed, Murakami. You'll be in Portugal and have the chance to get promoted to a highly elite first grade sorcerer. Smile a bit, would you? Spend some time on the beach and get a tan," he said.
She laughed and looked away from the papers.
"You're right. I guess I'm just a little annoyed with the higher-ups, but thanks for believing in me," she said.
Yaga gave her a very small smile.
"Of course."
She went to leave but hesitated, standing directly beside the chair she'd been seated in only a second ago.
"I hate to ask, but is Gojo really the best person for this? Wouldn't Geto be a better fit? He's also special grade but is more levelheaded," she asked. It wasn't that she didn't believe in Gojo's abilities. She absolutely did. He was the strongest.
But that didn't mean she wanted to be alone with him for an extended period of time.
A look flashed across Yaga's face. It was quick, lasted less than a second, but she still noticed. He looked pained or saddened or concerned. She had no idea why, but she caught it nonetheless.
"I understand your concern, but Suguru is going through some things right now. He also is set to go on a mission that will overlap with yours. And as frustrating as Satoru can be, I actually think it's better he'll be with you. There are no sorcerers in that part of the world, so you won't have any backup, and he can protect you should something go wrong. Not that I think it will though."
Geto was going through some things? What did that mean?
"I see. Well, thank you again. I won't disappoint you," Kaia said, holding the papers close to her chest and leaving the office.
She read over the mission details as she walked back to her room. She was still excited of course, but now she felt like the experience was slightly tainted. Once again, the higher-ups were treating her family like shit by forcing her on an overseas mission when it wasn't appropriate. And then now she'd be forced to spend multiple days in another country with Gojo of all people? God, it felt like there was someone out to get her—and not just the creepy singing old lady or her curse.
Kaia rounded the corner to walk by the common room when she was tackled around the shoulders, damn near toppling her to the floor.
"Oof," she groaned.
"Kaia! Did you miss me?" a familiar voice shrieked.
Kaia angled her head around to see Shoko's dark hair and couldn't hold back the grin that appeared on her face.
"Sho!" she said, hugging the girl tightly. "You're not allowed to go on an overnight mission ever again, okay?"
Shoko hugged her back and laughed, "I know. I'm sorry. Nanami told me."
"When'd you see him?" Kaia asked as she let go of her former roommate.
"The manager who dropped me off from my mission picked him up. He told me to check on you tonight and make sure you were okay. I'm sorry you had such an awful night, but at least someone else was around," Shoko said. She tucked her hair behind her ear and Kaia noticed that she looked remarkably put together for just coming back from a mission. She must have recently showered because Kaia was used to people coming back beaten and bruised, but Shoko didn't have a scratch on her and her uniform was clean.
"Did you clean up already?" Kaia asked.
"I did. Why do you ask?"
Kaia linked her arm through Shoko's and pulled her in the direction of the girls' dorms and said an excited, "because that means you can celebrate with me now!"
"Oooh, what are we celebrating?"
"I was recommended for promotion to Grade 1," Kaia said with a broad smile.
Shoko froze and squeezed Kaia's arm with a surprisingly strong grip.
"What! No way!"
"Yes! Mei Mei recommended me!"
"We have to celebrate! I wish Nanami was here so we could celebrate his promotion too," Shoko said. She squeezed Kaia a little harder. "I've got booze! The hidden room may be off limits for now, but we can still hang out outside. There's a nice backyard a little beyond the courtyard and you can't see it from Yaga's office or the dorms. I can call Utahime and Mei Mei if you want? They can get here in an hour or so. Kaia, this is so exciting!"
She couldn't contain her smile.
She couldn't wait to be a first grade sorcerer.
Kaito Murakami paced his kitchen, clenching his hands in and out of fists as he held the phone to his ear. His blood pressure was through the roof. It was at the point where Ren kept telling him he needed to calm down or else he was going to pop a blood vessel. The irony wasn't lost on him. Usually, he was the one telling Ren that, and she was the one angrily pacing. Not this time though. He'd been pushed too far.
"Kaito. To what do I owe the pleasure?" rasped Gakuganji's voice after Kaito had been on hold for more than forty minutes.
"You are a mean, miserable son-of-a-bitch and if you think for even one second that I'll allow you cretins to send my daughter back to Okinawa, then I will take my entire family and move far, far away where you can't reach us ever again. You'll lose three first grade sorcerers and your entire foothold in Okinawa. If I were you, I would tread carefully," he spat, feeling his lip curl with disdain.
"Kaito," Ren quietly chided from where she was leaning against one of the kitchen counters.
"Emotional as always," Gakuganji started with a bored sigh. "First, your family does not have three first grade sorcerers. It has two and a semi first grade. Second, go ahead. Leave. You can be cut off from jujutsu society and no one would care."
His blood pressure reached new heights he didn't think possible.
"If the house in Okinawa is as protected as you say, then you shouldn't mind that your daughter is being sent there."
"Why is she being sent there at all? She went on your mission, gave a report, and now she's done. You're just sending her there again because you think if you soak the grounds with her blood that all cursed activity on the island will stop," he snapped a little too loudly.
There was silence on the other line and the sound of an exasperated groan from his wife somewhere behind him.
"Well? At least admit to it!" he pressed when Gakuganji refused to answer.
"If you would just take your family back to Okinawa then there would be no need to send Kaia on these missions. If you're so against her going there, then perhaps it's time for you to return to your ancestral home. Return to where you belong," Gakuganji replied. His voice wasn't as calm as he must have wanted it. Kaito heard the anger there.
He remembered the house. His father's blood running red at the pond. The shrines. The paintings. The loss of his baby sister. The cries of his mother. The bodies of his brother and sister-in-law.
He remembered his own insanity.
No. He would never return to that vile place.
"The house will sit there as it has for a thousand years and it will rot until there is nothing left. The wards will keep everyone out, even you. And then, when the house finally rots, the land will corrode with it. And when that finally happens, the wards will be lifted and whoever still exists within the hierarchy can investigate it all they want. But until then? Until then, no one sets foot on the grounds. Not even my own daughter."
More silence. Gakuganji probably thought he sounded like a mad man and Kaito didn't even blame him. When it came to Okinawa, he was a madman.
"You've made a mistake, Kaito. An awful mistake."
The line went dead after that. Kaito raked his hands over his face in defeat and walked over to his wife. She brought her arms around him and kissed his closed eyes.
"I know you hate it there, but you really shouldn't speak to the higher-ups like that. The place is secure. You saw it to yourself with the head of the Kamo and the Gojo all those years ago. What are you so afraid of?" she asked. Her voice was gentle like a feather and he leaned into her embrace, circling his arms around her hips and holding her against his chest.
"I'm not afraid."
"No? It seems like you are. You won't even tell me what happened there."
Maybe he was afraid. Afraid that what happened to the family he grew up with would happen to his current family. Afraid that Ren would go as his mother had. Afraid that Maha and Kaia would meet the same fate as his brother and sister.
He held her tighter.
"Let's go to bed."
Shoko's current get-together was way different from her last one. Instead of being surrounded by the upperclassmen and crammed into a tiny room, they were all lounging outside in the backyard. Kaia vaguely remembered going there during her first few weeks for practice but realized she hadn't gotten the chance to return with all the missions they'd been sent on as second-years. The backyard training area was probably used mainly by first-years, as they weren't sent out on missions as often.
The grass was green and soft beneath her feet, there was a small set of stone stairs that led down to the courtyard, and the night sky was clear of clouds, leaving them surrounded by moon and stars. Shoko even thought to bring some lanterns and leave them around the grassy area for better lighting.
The company was somewhat the same as last time. Mei Mei and Utahime couldn't come despite Shoko's urging because they were stuck at the Kyoto school for something, and instead, Haibara and Ijichi joined them. Not only were they there, but two of the first-years were as well. There was the girl with blonde hair who was always trying to talk to Nanami, Kaia vaguely recalled that her name was Hina, and then another girl with brown hair named Sakura who kept asking about Gojo. Kaia hadn't really talked to them much, but they were a little older for their class and got along well enough with everyone. Kaia was pretty sure one of them went on a mission with Shoko and that's how they ended up invited without really knowing anyone.
"Is Nanami coming?" Hina asked as Shoko made Kaia a drink that had vodka, soda, and a bunch of strawberries in it.
"Not sure. It depends how long his mission takes," Kaia said. She looked at the pretty beverage Shoko made and quirked an eyebrow. "What is this?"
"Delicious. Drink it," Shoko ordered.
"I'd rather eat the strawberries," Kaia said, grinning at Shoko and fishing one out from the side of the glass and popping it in her mouth. Shoko rolled her eyes and lit a cigarette, taking a straight shot of vodka.
"We shouldn't be breaking the rules," Ijichi complained.
"Then why are you here? Lighten up a little, Sweetie," Shoko teased while she threw a wink at Ijichi that made him turn beet red.
"Sweetie," Kaia repeated. She giggled beside Haibara, both of them basking in the way Ijichi was so flustered.
"Hey, it's better than Bunny," Shoko deadpanned. "Speaking of, where are those two idiots?"
"Bunny? What kind of nickname is that?" Sakura asked. She made herself a cocktail with vodka and soda and took a big swig that impressed even Shoko.
"It's Gojo's latest tactic he's employed to piss Kaia off," Haibara said with a grin.
"That and this," came a voice directly from behind Kaia at the exact moment she felt a smack on her ass.
She jumped at the contact and whirled around, leveling her nastiness, meanest glare possible at where Gojo was standing beside Geto. It did nothing. He just smiled at her and reached forward to ruffle her hair that was unfortunately left down for once and said a smooth, "congrats on the recommendation. We're going to have so much fun on our mission."
She swatted his hand away and stuck close to Haibara, deciding to use him as a shield of sorts.
"Do you ever stop?" she asked.
"Never," Gojo and Geto said in unison.
"Hi Boys," Sakura drawled with a pretty smile from a few steps away.
That seemed to draw both of their attention, as the two walked over to the first years and left Kaia alone. She sighed in relief and sat down in the grass next to Ijichi, sucking down the drink with ease. It tasted great, not overly sweet like the punch from the bonfire all those months ago. And unlike the punch, Kaia could actually taste the alcohol and it was enough to stop her from overindulging.
"Too bad Nanami isn't here," Haibara said. He walked over to a stereo and played some music Shoko gave him. Then he whipped up a cocktail for him and Ijichi and joined them in the grass.
"I know. I still want to celebrate his promotion."
Shoko suddenly plopped down next to them. She laid on her back in the grass and sucked on a cigarette between sips of alcohol while Gojo and Geto flirted with the first-years. She breathed an 'O' and shifted her attention away from the sky to them.
"I heard you got assigned a pretty tough mission, Haibara. It starts in like two days, right?" she asked.
He nodded with that trademark smile of his.
"That's right! I was just talking to Geto about it. I'm excited!"
"You're always excited," Kaia teased.
"That's what you love about me," Haibara said back without missing a beat.
Kaia shrugged and finished her drink.
"That sounds about right," she admitted, nudging him with her shoulder.
"Is that why you were asking for help with barrier techniques earlier? You're worried about this mission?" Ijichi asked. He hardly touched his own drink, but he seemed to relax a bit more as he was no longer anxiously looking around for Yaga to bust them all.
"Yeah. It's a solo one, so I'm a little nervous," Haibara admitted with a sheepish smile.
"You'll do just fine," Shoko encouraged. "Geto respects you, Haibara. So that must mean you're pretty good at what you do."
At the mention of Geto, Haibara's smile broadened until it felt like Kaia was staring into the sun and he gushed about how much he looked up to Geto and valued his opinion. It was actually kind of cute. Kaia didn't think she looked up to anyone that way and almost envied him for it.
That reminded her…
She excused herself from her friends and walked over to where Gojo and Geto were with the first-years. The girls stuck close to the drinks and kept giggling, each playfully touching the boys' arms or chests when they said something that was supposed to be funny.
"Geto, can I steal you for a second?" Kaia asked after she tapped him on the shoulder. Hina and Sakura exchanged a look that Kaia knew was them expressing their frustration with her taking away one of the boys, but Kaia couldn't care less. Not when Yaga's words echoed in the back of her head.
Geto smiled kindly at her and joined her just a few paces away from both groups.
"Congratulations, Kaia. I'm sure you're very excited," he said.
"Thanks! That's not why I grabbed you though," she said. She lowered her voice. "I just wanted to talk to you about that shadow you saw the other day over my shoulder. Remember that?"
"I do. I haven't seen it since," he said as he nodded.
"Yeah, about that. I got a bruise on my back the next day. Apparently, it had cursed energy but I wasn't attacked or anything. I don't suppose you have any ideas what that could be about? Because I'm drawing a blank," she said. She shifted from one leg to the other, feeling slightly embarrassed about the whole thing. She actually wondered if Gojo talked to him at all, but judging by the confused look on Geto's face, he didn't.
"I don't. That's unusual, Kaia," he said.
"I know," she mumbled through her disappointment. "All right, thanks anyway. I know you mentioned that I should talk to you if something changed. Figured I'd give it a shot."
"I did," he said. He shot a look at where Gojo was basking in the attention of the first-years and another at where Shoko was chatting with Haibara and Ijichi. "Kaia, tell me. What do you think of non-sorcerers?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"You know that non-sorcerers are the cause of cursed spirits, right? What do you think about that? That we're forced to fight to protect them even when they're detestable people who are overjoyed at the death of a young girl?"
The realization washed over her immediately. Yaga was worried about Geto and she could see why. He was struggling with his ideology and identity as a jujutsu sorcerer after Riko Amanai's death.
Her heart hurt for him. It must have been awful to feel that way. To be filled with such regret, loneliness, and anger.
"I think that it's our duty as sorcerers to protect them. I think that killing people needs to have a purpose. I think that it's bullshit we have to protect people who can sometimes be really hateful and ugly. But it's part of what we do. It's what we have to do and it's okay to be pissed about it, but we're here for a reason and that reason is to protect people," she said quietly. She didn't really know if those words were true or not, but they were words that her parents had spoken over the years and she thought they had meaning.
She just hoped they were enough for Geto.
He looked at her very quietly, face a mask of zero emotion. She almost thought he was going to tell her she was an idiot, but then he painted a fake smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I see. Thank you, Kaia," he said.
He walked back over to Gojo and Kaia stood there alone like a dumbfounded fool for longer than what was probably appropriate. She ran a hand through her hair and walked back over to Haibara, Ijichi, and Shoko. She didn't say anything to them as she grabbed her finished drink and plucked the last two strawberries from it and ate them quickly.
"Going somewhere?" Shoko asked between puffs of another cigarette when Kaia didn't sit back down.
"I'm just gonna quick call my sister," Kaia lied. She didn't actually plan on calling anyone, she just wanted to clear her head and think about what Geto had said. She worried about him and wondered if he would be okay. Maybe there was something she could do for him if she thought about it hard enough.
Once she reached the stone steps that were away from the overall group and overlooked the courtyard, she sat down on the top step and took in the pretty scenery. She looked ahead, staring into the dark woods just out of reach. And she listened to the sounds of her friends not far away, Shoko smoking a cigarette and teasing Ijichi. The giggles of the first-years as one of the boys said something stupid.
"Everyone seems to be having a killer time."
Kaia glanced up to see Gojo sitting beside her on the steps. His thigh brushed against hers and with the way the wind blew in her direction, she could smell the sandalwood and spice from his soap. She wouldn't admit it, but she actually really liked it. The pleasant smell of him did things to her, made her head fuzzy in the most pleasant way possible. Though she did notice the faint smell of tobacco on him as well that made her curious.
"Since when do you smoke? And yeah, it does. Why aren't you with them?" she asked.
"I don't. I just took a drag from Ieiri on my way over here to bug her. And to answer your question, alcohol and I don't really mix. Plus, I can only listen to some drunken chick's babble for so long before I get irritated. Figured I'd take a break with you," he said easily.
She hated the way her stomach fluttered and she hated the way she liked the fact that his leg was touching hers. Another bout of wind blew around them and she leaned a little closer to him and she could have almost sworn that he did the same.
Damn. That time spent in his domain must have really screwed her up.
"How thoughtful," she said. "Why are you being so nice to me now? You were such a dick last year."
She waited for some type of reaction from him but he gave her nothing to work with. He just leaned back on the stairs, resting his elbows behind him and stretching his stupidly long legs until he was well within her personal bubble.
"I was not. I saved your ass twice last year," he said, nudging her with his elbow.
"Yeah, but you never would have sat here and talked to me. Is Geto putting you up to this?" she asked suspiciously, looking at him and narrowing her eyes.
He laughed and the sound made her feel warm all over.
"No. Maybe I just like talking to you."
She couldn't help but remember all of his stupid little comments and the way he always knew exactly what to say to push her buttons. She scoffed, "yeah okay."
"Why are you so icy all the time? What's going on in that pretty little head of yours that makes you so terrified to be friendly with someone?" he asked. She expected him to smirk at her and tease her, but he didn't. His expression was neutral and his body language was relaxed.
"I'm not icy all the time. I'm friends with Nanami, Haibara, and Ieiri," she pointed out.
"So it's just me you're so uptight with, huh? Is that what you're saying?" a lopsided smile returned to his face and she frowned.
"You're kind of a lot to deal with," she deadpanned.
"Sorry. Comes with the territory of being the strongest." There was something in his voice that changed. She noticed that he no longer called himself "one of the strongest" and instead said he was "the strongest." She wondered if he realized it himself, but she had a feeling he did. He seemed different compared to last year and she wondered if he felt different for the same reason Geto did.
"It's fine," she said quickly. "Thanks for the other day by the way. For uh, fixing my screwed up technique."
Damnit. Why was she blushing? How come every time she thought about that night, she felt embarrassed? How come every time she thought about that night, she found herself actually missing Gojo and feeling all weird and flighty?
"Don't worry about it. It was no trouble at all," he said, voice a little lower than before. "You should try and activate your technique again though. Make sure it's actually fixed."
"Yeah, I gotta do that at home," she admitted.
"You could do it with me. I've brought you back twice now," he pointed out with that crooked smile from earlier. She looked at him through the corner of her eye and tried as hard as possible to hold back her own smile. "You must not hate me as much as you think you do if I was able to bring you back."
She laughed in spite of herself and shook her head.
"Contrary to what I may say when you piss me off, I don't actually hate you, Gojo," she said. She went on before she could think better of it and said a soft, "for as much as you drive me up a wall—and believe me, you do drive me up a wall—I uh. I dunno. I feel safe with you. Probably because you're so strong and you have literally saved my life twice now, but yeah."
Gojo was quiet for a long moment and she held her breath. She screwed that one up, didn't she? This new sense of friendship (if you could call it that?) between them was done now that she opened her stupid mouth. But hey, maybe it was better that way. She wasn't sure if she liked thinking about him all the time anyway.
"I'm glad I make you feel safe," he said quietly.
She swallowed to loosen up her dry throat and picked at the corner of her nails. She really should have gone back to the group. Part of the reason they were all celebrating was because of her.
But then Gojo turned to her with a big smile on his handsome face and her heart might have skipped a beat.
"That was awfully sentimental of you, Bunny," he teased.
She groaned and smacked her hand to her forehead. "Why? Why 'Bunny' of all annoying nicknames? It sounds so dirty."
He chuckled, voice low and deep and enough to make her head spin.
"It seemed like a good fit. You're a little too feisty to go by 'doll' and you're not exactly well mannered enough for it either," he started, nudging her with his broad shoulder this time. "Calling you 'babe' would be trying a little too hard and 'baby' is just another form of 'babe.' Plus, you're cute like a bunny. So it works."
She blinked stupidly at him for a few long moments, hoping like hell that he couldn't see just how badly she was blushing. She could feel blood rush to her face, her ears, the back of her neck, her chest. God, she was such an idiot. Why couldn't she keep herself composed around him for more than three seconds?
"Did you just give me a compliment?" was all she could stutter out without completely losing her fragile composure.
"I said you were cute. Try not to let it go to your head. Not like I called you a bombshell," Gojo said back. She felt a little bit of a sting at his words but she was actually grateful for it. The sting made it easier for her to remember who the hell she was and to stop being such a blushing, doe-eyed schoolgirl around him.
"Nah, you're right. That'd be Maha. She was blessed with all the pretty genes," she said as she looked up at the night sky that was littered with stars.
There was the distinctive, irritated sound of Gojo scoffing beside her.
"Are you kidding me? Have you ever looked in a mirror?" he said with a slight edge to his voice.
She quirked an eyebrow and looked at him through the corner of her eye.
"Damn, Gojo. Am I that hideous? I thought you said I was cute." She puffed her lower lip out in a pout just to be obnoxious and it seemed to do the trick because Gojo was suddenly looking at her over the bridge of his glasses until all she could see was blue.
"What are you talking about? You're fucking beautiful. Stop that." Damn. Did he actually sound a little ticked off? She must have drunk too much and was imagining it. Still though, if he actually thought she was beautiful then she didn't know what the hell she was going to do with herself because her stomach and heart were just fluttering all over the place and she had the distant urge to want to hide from him. But instead of doing that, she opted for buckling down and continuing to pout.
She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and said a bored, "thanks, but let's agree to disagree. 'Beautiful' should be used for someone like Maha or Mei Mei. But I do think I can be cute when I want. Matches my small stature."
Gojo shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, not looking at her when he responded with a sharp, "you're ridiculous."
She grinned.
"You love it."
"No, only one of us is allowed to be ridiculous and that's me," he deadpanned.
"What are you so irritated for? If I was really as pretty as you claim, then I wouldn't be the loser seventeen-year-old that I am, never having even held hands with a boy or been kissed. I mean shit, Maha had boys falling over themselves when she was barely fourteen. I'm not stupid, Gojo," she said suddenly. She wasn't sure why she felt compelled to share those thoughts with him but it was too late to take it back. She hadn't shared those thoughts with anyone before. Not with Maha or Shoko. And certainly not with one of her guy friends like Nanami or Haibara. She would have never lived it down if she did.
And yet here she was, spilling her guts to Satoru Gojo of all people.
The terrifying realization then hit her that the reason she spilled her innermost thoughts to him was because she had it bad for him…
His eyes were on her once again. He didn't smile at her or tease her. Didn't call her nicknames or anything like that. He just carefully held eye contact with her and reached down between them so his hand was on hers and very slowly interlaced their fingers together.
Her heart slammed against her ribcage and blood rushed to her face.
She already knew he had callused hands, all jujutsu sorcerers did from all the fighting, but the feeling of his rough palms on her only made her remember his strength and it made her a little dizzy. He was warm to the touch and he brought her hand into his lap, all while he still held eye contact with her.
"Now you've held hands with a boy," he said softly.
She could hear her heartbeat in her eardrums.
"What are you doing?" she blurted, desperately trying to cling to some sense of dignity.
He looked over his shoulder at where their friends all were before he shifted closer to her so it wasn't just their thighs that touched but also their arms and everything else. He leaned closer like he wanted to tell her a secret and all she could focus on was the rapid beating in her chest and the incredible smell of sandalwood and spice that came from him.
"You're not just cute. I told you, you're gorgeous. And you're not a loser because you've never messed around with some idiot high school guy. You're a jujutsu sorcerer who didn't get the chance to do any of that because you were gifted with incredible skills. Don't sell yourself short because you're not ordinary like everybody else," he said in a firm tone.
He was so warm. Heat radiated off of his body and she just wanted to curl up against him and go to sleep. She let herself lean closer to him.
It felt infinitely better to be this close to him. The only other person she'd been like this with had been Reiji and that was the worst, most awful experience she could have ever imagined. And despite the way Gojo imposed himself on her with his large frame, she didn't feel scared of him. If anything, she felt protected by him.
"Yeah, but come on," she said, hoping that her voice didn't sound as weak as she thought it did. "You gotta admit that the lack of experience is a little pathetic. Especially to you, 'Mr. I sleep around and everybody knows it.'"
He sighed.
"What do I gotta do to snap you out of this? Set you up on a date with someone?"
She laughed and tried to lean away from him, more as an attempt to clear her mind than to get away from him. She liked being this close to him more than she cared to admit, and she was still painfully aware of the way their fingers were interlocked together.
"You don't have to do anything. Why are you so stuck on this? I think you care more than I do."
He frowned and then there was a spark, a little smirk that made the corner of his lips quirk upward.
"You're just bummed out that you've never been kissed. That's it. Am I right?"
Nevermind. All the feelings she had for him were going right out the window.
She pulled her hand away from his and scowled.
"No. Shut up," she retorted.
"That is it," he said, smile growing. "You should have said something. I can be your first kiss if it bothers you that much."
Technically, she had been kissed before. But it'd been awful. It'd been against her will. She'd been stupidly drunk and had a guy force himself on her and she wished like hell it'd been different. But it hadn't.
Maybe that's why she was so bummed out about it.
She put her hand on Gojo's shoulder and pushed him out of her personal bubble, but he barely moved. Hardly at all really.
She looked away from him and crossed her arms. She felt cold as she remembered the night of the bonfire. She felt sick.
She hated it.
"Hey, I'm just playing. I'll shut up if you want," Gojo tried when she refused to look at him. He bumped his leg against hers in a friendly manner and her heart squeezed. Why did he have to be so fucking nice all of the sudden? It was a lot harder to keep everything to herself when the guy she was quickly realizing she had feelings for was suddenly being so fucking kind.
"C'mon. Don't be mad. I thought we were past this," he said again, voice going up an octave to really emphasize that he didn't mean it.
She rubbed her forehead and turned over her shoulder to look at him again, and he wore a smaller smile now. One that wasn't so condescending and that was actually friendly.
"I'm not mad at you," she started, deciding to keep going even though she felt so stupidly embarrassed. "You're right. I'm stuck on the whole 'never-been-kissed' thing. But it's not really that. I'm just pissed because unlike Maha and Shoko and probably Utahime, I didn't have a nice first kiss. My first kiss was stolen from me by a drunken asshole who thought if he kept pushing liquor down my throat that he could have his way with me. That's what I'm stuck on."
She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but Gojo's expression softening and his brows furrowing and lips falling into a frown had not been it.
"Kaia, I'm sorry," he said right away.
"It's fine. Forget I said anything. But you wanted to know, so there you go," she said. She glanced at her friends again and noticed the two groups converging into one.
"Kaia! Satoru! Stop being antisocial and get your asses back over here!" Shoko's voice broke through the little moment they'd been having and Kaia forced a smile on her face.
"We're coming!" she called out. She planted her hands on her knees, ready to get up and rejoin the group. "You ready?"
Gojo was clearly not ready because he was still watching her with that sad look on his face.
"Do you want a redo?" he asked after a moment.
She paused and started to pick at the corners of her nails again.
"A redo? Of what?"
"Your first kiss," he said easily. He was so straightforward as he said it. He wasn't teasing her or making fun of her. He was just forthright and it made her mouth exceptionally dry for some reason.
She hadn't thought of that before. She had only tried to scrub the memory from her brain of that night. She had only showered in scalding hot water for a week to get the feeling of Reiji's hands off her. The thought of having a 'redo' never crossed her mind. Didn't think it was possible.
But here it was. Satoru offering her a chance. And sure, maybe it wouldn't be romantic like Maha's had been at a school dance, but at least it would now be her choice. At least it would now be with a boy she actually liked—even if she hated to admit it.
But then again, maybe that wasn't what he meant. Maybe he was just asking because he was curious. Though her palms were now sweaty and she had to wipe them on her pants.
"Well yeah. But it doesn't really work like that."
He let his dark glasses slide down the bridge of his nose until all she could see was blue, blue, blue. There was a soft, kind smile on his face, not one of his cocky smirks. He leaned a little closer so she could no longer see or register anything around them, only him, and she swore her heart was beating so loudly that he could hear it.
"Close your eyes, Bunny," he said in the softest, most gentle voice she'd ever heard anyone use. It melted her so much that she didn't even mind the nickname.
Kaia closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for something.
And then it happened.
A pair of warm, soft lips pressed against hers.
Her heart leapt in her chest and she imagined stars exploding all around them. It was so much better than what Reiji had done to her. There was no taste of stale alcohol or sensation of him forcing his hands on her. It was just a simple chaste kiss that was everything she could have hoped for in a million years.
Satoru pulled back and her eyes fluttered open, but he wasn't far. His nose still brushed hers and he brought a hand up to play with a lock of auburn hair that fell over her shoulder.
"How was that?" he asked quietly.
Amazing. Wonderful. Everything she could have possibly hoped for.
And yet, it wasn't enough. She wanted more.
Holding onto what tiny bit of courage she had left, she closed what little gap separated them and kissed him again without another word.
She could feel the smile on his lips, but he didn't pull away or tease her for kissing him. He slanted his lips against hers, deepening the kiss and applying a steady pressure that made heat pool low in her belly. She felt one of his hands go to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her long hair and tugging just enough to make shocks of pleasure jolt through her.
She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she nervously set them on his broad shoulders and curled her fingers in the fabric of his jacket. She felt his tongue run along her lower lip and without a second thought, she parted her lips for him. His tongue explored her mouth and she gasped at how good it felt, holding onto him tighter.
He tasted like mint and just a hint of tobacco from when he'd taken a drag of Shoko's cigarette. Only it wasn't unpleasant. If anything, it just made her want him so much more after having a taste.
The heat that had been pooling low in her belly only got hotter and hotter to the point where she felt overwhelmed and nervous suddenly. She hadn't ever felt this before and she'd never wanted someone so badly before in her life. It terrified her.
She flattened her hands on his shoulders and broke the kiss when she thought the heat in her abdomen was going to burn her alive.
He didn't force himself back on her like Reiji had. Instead, he leaned his forehead against hers and cradled her face with a large hand.
"You taste like mint," she blurted, scared of the silence that lingered between them and what it might mean.
He smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You taste like strawberries," he said back, still wearing that perfect smile.
"Kaia! Satoru! What are you guys doing? Come on!" Shoko yelled again.
"Uh, we should get back before Shoko drags us over herself," she said, savoring the way Gojo was still touching her and the way she was still touching him. Her body was hot to the touch and she couldn't deny the fact that she desperately wanted to keep kissing him, but their time clearly had run out.
He paused, blue eyes flitting around her face for a long while, and then leaned back.
"Right," he said, putting some much-needed distance between them. He held his hand out for her to take and she hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted it and let him pull her to her feet.
Even though she didn't want to, she let go of his hand. It was just easier that way. That way Shoko wouldn't be up her ass and that way Gojo wouldn't assume she wanted more from him.
Well. She did want more from him but he didn't need to know that.
They walked back to the group, side by side, fingers just barely brushing.
Author's note:
I've been writing Part II lately and it's always so hard to come back to Part I and write from such a young perspective. Anyway. Comments are greatly appreciated as always! See you next Sunday(:
Also. Currently still reeling from JJK chapter 175 and Yuta doing that THING AHHH. OH MY GOD. MY SWEET BOI. NO.